MINNESOTA GOPHER MENS BASKETBALL TEAM SNAPS 20 GAME LOSING STREAK BY BEATING ILLINOIS

The Minnesota men's basketball team ended its 20-game losing streak to Illinois with an impressive 59-36 win over the 21st-ranked Illini Thursday night at Williams Arena.

Lawrence Westbrook went 3-of-4 from three-point range and paced the 24th-ranked Gophers with 15 points and six rebounds in 30 minutes of action. Freshman center Ralph Sampson III added 10 points and seven rebounds to help Minnesota improve to 18-3 overall and 6-3 in the Big Ten.

Carrying the momentum of a six-point halftime lead into the second half, the Gophers shot 48.1 percent (13-of-27) over the final 20 minutes of play and blew the game open – leading by as many as 23 – in front of a raucous sellout crowd of 14,625 at The Barn.

But the story of arguably Minnesota's biggest home win of the season was the Gophers’ ability to stifle the Illini with Tubby Smith's patented ball-line defensive scheme.

Aggressive all night, the Maroon and Gold held Bruce Weber's squad to 29.4 percent shooting from the field. The Illini went 7-of-28 in the first half, 8-of-23 in the second half and finished the contest 15-of-51 from the field, including just 2-of-16 shooting from behind the arc (12.5 percent).

The 36 points Minnesota held the Illini to on this night marks the lowest point total by an Illinois team in 24 years (Illinois scored 34 points in a loss to Purdue on Jan. 30, 1985). The point total was also the fewest allowed by the Gophers in a conference game since 1951. The 23-point loss was the largest margin of defeat for the Illini under head coach Bruce Weber.

Additionally, the Gophers 23-point win is the largest over a ranked opponent in the history of the program. The previous mark of 21 points in a win over No. 9 Purdue was set in 1993.

From the onset, it was obvious that Thursday night’s game would be a defensive battle. The Gophers held the Illini without a field goal for the first five minutes and 23 seconds of regulation.

Yet, Minnesota’s strong defense didn’t pay dividends on the scoreboard early on. With the Illini locking down Minnesota, the Maroon and Gold trailed seven minutes into the game.

That, however, quickly changed.

Down 6-5, Minnesota went on an 8-0 run – capped by a three-pointer from Blake Hoffarber – to take a 13-6 lead midway through the first half. The Gophers’ lead eventually ballooned to eight, 20-12, after a layup by Al Nolen forced Bruce Weber to call a timeout with 3:49 remaining in the first stanza.

Illiniois cut Minnesota’s lead to four in the final minutes of the first, but an acrobatic layup by Westbrook on Minnesota’s final possession of the first half sent the Gophers into the locker room up 22-16 at halftime.

From there, the Gophers would never trail.

Minnesota jumped on the Illini from the get-go in the second stanza.

The Gophers opened the second half on a 13-6 run and built a 35-22 lead following a free throw by Sampson III with 12:25 to go in regulation.The Illini shrunk Minnesota’s lead to 36-27 after Calvin Brock hit Illinois’ first three of the night, but the Gophers responded with a 9-0 run and led 45-27 following a three by Lawrence Westbrook with 7:46 left to go.

The Illini scored five quick points to cut into Minnesota’s advantage, but Westbrook hit another three to put the Gophers ahead by 16, 50-34, with 4:52 to play – all but ending Illinois' attempt at a comeback.

Minnesota returns to action on Wednesday when the Gophers travel to East Lansing to challenge Michigan State.

Noteworthy:

Minnesota outrebounded Illinois 44-29

Minnesota went 15-of-24 from the free throw line. Meanwhile, the Illini went just 4-of-7 from the charity stripe.

The Gophers shot 31.8 percent in the first half, but finished the game at 40.8 percent (20-of-49).

Minnesota outscored Illinois by 17 in the second half (37-20).