Minnesota Remains Undefeated with 81-76 Victory Over Mississippi State

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The University of Minnesota men's basketball team earned an 81-76 win over Mississippi State tonight in Starkville, Miss. With the victory, the Golden Gophers are 7-0 on the season and just one of twelve undefeated teams in the nation.

All five starters for the Maroon and Gold finished with double-figure scoring. Payton Willis paved the way with 24 points, followed by Jamison Battle with 20, Eylijah Stephens and Eric Curry with 12 and Luke Loewe with 11. Willis produced two three-pointers in the first half and 12 points, and Battle was the top scorer in the second half with a trio of three-pointers and 15 points. Battle also led the Gophers in rebounds (five), while Willis contributed seven assists.

Minnesota opened the game with a 7-0 run, prompting a quick MSU timeout. Loewe got the Gophers started with a three-pointer, Curry knocked down a jumper and Willis added a layup. Following the timeout, the Gophers kept things going on a jumper from Battle, a deep three from Willis and a Loewe layup for a 14-0 lead and a second timeout called by Bulldogs head coach Ben Howland.

The second timeout for MSU seemed to work, as the Bulldogs responded with a 9-2 run over the next three minutes, causing Ben Johnson to call his first timeout. Willis picked the Gophers up with four quick points for a 20-9 lead, and then a three to make it 23-11 at the 10:24 mark. A 9-0 MSU run cut Minnesota's lead to 23-20, before E.J. Stephens ended the drought with a trey with 5:24 left, and Charlie Daniels kept the Gophers in front 28-24 with a putback dunk.

After MSU pulled within two, Loewe made a pair of layups to put Minnesota up six, 32-26, and the half came to a close with Battle hitting a long-range bomb for a 35-29 edge, but a last second Bulldogs three banked in to send the teams to the half with Minnesota leading, 35-32. Willis led the Gophers with 12 first-half points, while Loewe added nine.

The second half started with the teams trading baskets, with Battle playing a huge role for the Gophers, as he scored 10 of Minnesota's first 12 points to extend the lead to 47-41 at the first media timeout. Minnesota expanded its advantage to 60-46 with a 13-5 run over the next three-plus minutes, with five players scoring during the stretch.

The Bulldogs answered with six straight points to cut the lead to 60-52, but E.J. Stephens put the Gophers back up 14 by draining back-to-back three-pointers. An 8-2 run by MSU pulled the Bulldogs within eight, 68-60, with 7:00 remaining, but a Battle layup and four Curry free throws made it a 74-64 lead with 4:41 left.

Mississippi State used a 12-2 run to tie the score for the first time with 0:41 left, but Willis delivered a clutch three-pointer with 0:18 remaining and added a pair of free throws to give Minnesota the five-point win. Willis led the Gophers with 24 points and seven assists, while Battle scored 15 points in the second half to finish with 20 points and five boards.

Minnesota opens up Big Ten play on Wednesday, Dec. 8 when Michigan State comes to town. Game time is set for 8 p.m., and will be televised on BTN.

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