Utah Utes vs Minnesota Golden Gophers Match Player Stats On Nov 12, 2018

All five starters scored in double figures Monday night as Minnesota used a big first-half run to take the lead, then held off Utah in the second half for a 78-69 win in Minneapolis.

Gabe Kalscheur paced the Golden Gophers (2-0) with 19 points, canning 5 of 6 3-pointers. Amir Coffey added 14, while freshman Daniel Oturu chipped in 13 points. Jordan Murphy stuffed the stat sheet with 11 points, 17 rebounds and five assists in his 47th career double-double.

Sedrick Barefield and reserve Vante Hendrix led the Utes (1-1) with 14 points. Novak Topalovic added 13, but Utah wasn't able to consistently hit shots, connecting on just 40 percent from the floor.

The Utes controlled play for most of the first half, ripping off nine straight points to establish a 16-12 lead when Charles Jones Jr. converted a transition layup off a turnover with 10:20 on the clock. It was still 18-14 when Donnie Tillman canned a layup just before the under-8 timeout.

By the time Utah scored again, it trailed for good. Minnesota ripped off 10 straight points in a 2:15 span, taking the lead when Coffey drilled a 3-pointer with 5:53 left. Kalscheur capped the half by sinking a 3-pointer with 26 seconds remaining to give the Gophers a 33-26 advantage.

Minnesota methodically upped the lead to 57-42 when Michael Hurt turned Coffey's feed into a bucket with 9:21 left in the game. At that point, the Utes made their last serious push.

Their only returning starter, Barefield, fueled a 15-5 run with seven points. His step-back jumper in the lane at the 6:13 mark pulled Utah within 62-57.

But the Gophers came up with the necessary answers to keep the Utes at bay. Isaiah Washington sank a pullup in the lane with three minutes to restore a double-figure lead at 70-59, and Utah simply didn't have enough time after that.

Dupree McBrayer contributed 11 points and six assists for the Gophers.

--Field Level Media