Feb. 22, 2009

Box Score

MINNEAPOLIS - Northwestern trailed by just three midway through the first half, but Minnesota closed the opening stanza on a 20-5 run en route to pulling away from the Wildcats 72-45 at Williams Arena Sunday night.

John Shurna, who had six rebounds, and Jeremy Nash paced NU (14-11, 5-9 Big Ten) with nine points apiece. Lawrence Westbrook was the lone player in double figures for either team, scoring a game-high 17 points for the Golden Gophers (20-7, 8-7).

Northwestern leading scorer Kevin Coble was limited to five points in just 22 minutes of action after suffering from an illness that has prevented him from practicing since the Wildcats' 72-69 win over Ohio State on Wednesday.

Despite experiencing a slow start, NU found itself trailing only 16-13 just past the midway point of the opening half. However, Minnesota held the Wildcats scoreless over a span of 5:26 as the hosts scored nine straight points.

The Gophers eventually took a 36-18 advantage into the break as Northwestern connected on just five of 21 field goal attempts (23.8 percent) over the opening 20 minutes of play.

The Wildcats remained within 16 points seven minutes into the second half, but never made a serious run at Minnesota which earned its second consecutive 20-win season under head coach Tubby Smith.

NU managed to force 17 turnovers by the Golden Gophers in the contest after forcing them into 19 miscues in their 74-65 win over Minnesota in Evanston Jan. 18.

Northwestern returns to action Wednesday as it travels to Indiana for a 5:30 p.m. Central time tip.