Murray scores 28 with 14 boards; Iowa beats Gopher men 68-56

MINNEAPOLIS - Kris Murray had 28 points, 14 rebounds, three steals and two blocks to help Iowa beat Minnesota 68-56 Sunday and hand the Golden Gophers their eighth consecutive loss.

Filip Rebraca added 16 points and eight rebounds for Iowa (16-9, 8-6 Big Ten).

The Hawkeyes, who had their three-game win streak snapped by an 87-83 loss at No. 1 Purdue last time out, never trailed against Minnesota.

Tony Perkins hit a jumper to open the scoring, then followed with a three-point play to spark an 18-6 opening run that included six points by Rebraca. The Gophers cut their deficit to two points on three occasions - the last coming when Joshua Ola-Joseph hit a 3-pointer that made it 39-37 with 16:53 - but got no closer.

Murray hit a 3-pointer and then threw down a dunk to cap a 10-1 run that gave Iowa a 66-52 lead with 2:54 to play.

Ola-Joseph led the Gophers with 11 points. Ta'lon Cooper and Jaden Henley each scored 10.

Minnesota (7-16, 1-12) has lost nine of its last 10 games.

The Golden Gophers had a game at Illinois - that was originally scheduled for Tuesday - rescheduled for Feb. 20 due to COVID-19 protocols within the Minnesota program.

UP NEXT

Iowa returns home to play Ohio State on Thursday

Minnesota hits the road to play Wednesday at Michigan State