Murphy, Lynch lead Minnesota past Northern Illinois

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Reggie Lynch and Jordan Murphy each had a double-double and Minnesota pulled away to beat Northern Illinois 77-57 Sunday.

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Lynch scored 11 of his career-high tying 18 points in the second half. His 11 rebounds were two off a career best.

Murphy had 12 points and 10 rebounds for Minnesota (10-1). Nate Mason finished with 11 points and Akeem Springs and Dupree McBrayer had 10.

The Huskies (4-5) lost for the fourth time in five games. They were led by Marshawn Wilson's 18 points. He went to high school about 10 miles from Williams Arena. Dontel Highsmith had 10. Dontel Highsmith had 10.

Northern Illinois has lost 14 straight games to Big Ten opponents since Dec. 14, 1999.

Lynch, a redshirt junior, and Murphy, a sophomore, combined for 12 of Minnesota's first 21 second-half points as the Gophers, who led BY six at the break, built a 50-38 lead. Springs, who played two seasons at Northern Illinois, had a 3-pointer and layup in that stretch.

Minnesota finished with a 48-28 rebounding advantage.

BIG PICTURE

Northern Illinois: The Huskies need to shoot better away from the basket. Northern Illinois had zero points outside the paint in the first half and finished with 11. The Huskies were 2-for-11 on 3-point attempts.

Minnesota: The Gophers, who struggled in a 74-68 win over the New Jersey Institute of Technology on Wednesday but beat Georgia Southern by 37 on Friday, continue to seek offensive consistency. They shot just 30 percent in the first half despite a 5-for-21 start, but 53.6 in the second 20 minutes.

UP NEXT

Northern Illinois: Plays its only home game in a 35-day stretch Wednesday against Olivet Nazarene. The Huskies have four road games in that span.

Minnesota: The Gophers are home Wednesday against LIU Brooklyn before a nine-day layoff for final exams.