NCAA Game Summary - Penn State at Minnesota

Minneapolis, MN (SportsNetwork.com) - DeAndre Mathieu and Maurice Walker paced five teammates in double figures with 16 points apiece, as the Minnesota Golden Gophers closed out the Big Ten Conference regular season in style with an easy 81-63 victory over the Penn State Nittany Lions at Williams Arena.

Austin Hollins added 14 points and three steals for Minnesota (19-12, 8-10 Big Ten), which has won two of three. Andre Hollins and Maverick Ahanmisi both scored 13 for the hosts, while Mathieu also handed out six assists.

For PSU (15-16, 6-12), losers of two of three, D.J. Newbill poured in a game- high 24 points on 9-of-20 from the field. Tim Frazier chipped in 14 points while knocking down 10-of-12 at the free-throw line.

Minnesota ran out to a commanding 23-3 lead less than nine minutes into the game and eventually carried a 38-24 advantage into the break.

After the Gophers pulled away by as many as 25 in the second half, the Nittany Lions used a 20-4 run to get to within nine, but that was as close as they would get as Minnesota pulled away down the stretch.

Minnesota shot 55.6 percent from the field on the day, compared to 40.4 percent for PSU.

The teams will play again in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament on Thursday, with the winner advancing to take on Wisconsin in the quarterfinals.