Hot-shooting Northwestern pulls away, routs Minnesota

Brooks Barnhizer scored 23 points on 7-for-14 shooting and Northwestern pulled away for a 90-66 win over Minnesota in a Big Ten Conference matchup Saturday night in Evanston, Ill.

Boo Buie also scored 23 points on 9-for-14 shooting for Northwestern (21-10, 12-8 Big Ten), which snapped a two-game skid in its regular-season finale. Ryan Langborg scored 17 points and made three of four attempts from beyond the arc.

Dawson Garcia scored 30 points and grabbed nine rebounds to lead Minnesota (18-13, 9-11). Elijah Hawkins registered a double-double with 14 points and 10 assists for the Golden Gophers, who finished their regular season with two straight losses.

Northwestern shot 58.6 percent from the field (34 of 58) and 55.6 percent from 3-point range (10 of 18). Minnesota shot 49.1 percent overall (26 of 53) and 43.8 percent from beyond the arc (7 of 16).

The Wildcats committed only one turnover, compared with 10 turnovers by Minnesota.

Northwestern raced to a 53-41 lead at the half.

The Wildcats jumped to an 11-2 lead in the first five-plus minutes. Langborg made a jumper to increase Northwestern's lead to nine points with 15:44 left in the first half.

Minnesota pulled within 23-20 on a dunk by Parker Fox with 9:56 left before the break.

Northwestern answered with a 9-2 run to gain a double-digit lead. Barnhizer made a 3-pointer to finish the run and give the Wildcats a 32-22 advantage.

The second half featured a slightly slower pace, but Northwestern came out on top again. The Wildcats outscored the Golden Gophers 37-25 after halftime to transform a 12-point lead into a 24-point victory.

Minnesota cut the deficit to 72-61 with 6:53 remaining. Braeden Carrington made a 3-pointer to pull the Golden Gophers within 11 points.

Northwestern closed the game on an 18-5 run to seal the victory. Barnhizer finished the scoring with a pair of free throws to make it a 24-point margin, which marked the Wildcats' largest lead of the night.