National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Minnesota 84, Illinois 67
When: 9:00 PM ET, Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Where: Assembly Hall, Champaign, Illinois
Officials: # Steve McJunkins, # Lamont Simpson, # Terry Wymer
Attendance: 16618


No. 10 Minnesota 84, No. 13 Illinois 67: Joe Coleman scored a career-high 29 points and Trevor Mbakwe had 19 points and 11 rebounds as the Golden Gophers won their 11th straight and handed the Illini their first home loss.

Andre Hollins added 22 points, a career-high eight rebounds and six assists for Minnesota (15-1, 3-0 Big Ten), which is on its longest win streak since a 12-game run during the 2008-09 season.

Brandon Paul scored 21 points to pace Illinois (14-3, 1-2), which has dropped three of five since a 12-0 start.

The Illini – the top 3-point shooting team in the nation – shot just 3-of-16 from beyond the arc in the first half and fell behind by 12 early in the second half, but three straight layups by Tracy Abrams highlighted a 12-2 run that allowed Illinois to climb to within 44-42 with 12:40 remaining.

Minnesota would not relinquish its lead, however, as Hollins and Coleman scored the next 12 points for the Gophers as they answered with a 19-7 surge. They were not threatened thereafter, holding the Illini to a season-low 3-of-24 from the 3-point line.

GAME NOTEBOOK: The 3-0 start in Big Ten play is officially Minnesota’s best since the 1974-75 season. The 1996-97 team began conference play with four straight victories, but those wins were later vacated. … Minnesota (75) entered Wednesday with half as many 3-pointers as Illinois (150), but tripled the Illini with a 9-of-15 performance in this contest. … The Illini have shot less than 30 percent from the 3-point line in six of their last seven games after doing so just once over their first 10.

Top Game Performances
 
Minnesota   Illinois
Joe Coleman 29 Scoring Brandon Paul 21
Andre Hollins 6 Assists Tracy Abrams 2
Trevor Mbakwe 11 Rebounds Nnanna Egwu 9
Joe Coleman 7 Free Throws Made Brandon Paul 8
Austin Hollins 2 Steals Brandon Paul 3
Joe Coleman 1 Blocks Nnanna Egwu 3
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Minnesota 84 52.9 9-15 21-27 17 34 3 5 15
Illinois 67 35.4 3-24 18-21 8 29 4 7 7