Coffey leads surging Gophers past Ohio State, 78-68

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Amir Coffey had 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting, helping Minnesota stave off another setback at home with a 78-68 victory over Ohio State on Sunday night.

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Akeem Springs scored 18 points on 5-for-8 shooting from 3-point range for the Gophers (15-2, 3-1), who have already topped their Big Ten win total of last season and beat the Buckeyes for only the second time in the last 12 meetings.

Jae'Sean Tate had 20 points and nine rebounds for Ohio State (10-6, 0-3), but he also committed five fouls and seven turnovers. The Buckeyes have lost their first three conference games for the first time in coach Thad Matta's 13 seasons.

With spitfire new football coach P.J. Fleck firing up the crowd at halftime, the Gophers avoided the second-half lapse that cost them last week in a one-point overtime loss here to Michigan State after leading by as many as 14 points.