Kris Murray scored 28 points and Filip Rebraca added 16 as visiting Iowa kept Minnesota reeling with a 68-56 victory in Big Ten play on Sunday in Minneapolis.
Murray shot 12 of 27 from the field, including 3 of 5 from 3-point range, to go along with a game-high 14 rebounds. Rebraca hit 6 of 12 from the floor and added eight rebounds for the Hawkeyes, while Tony Perkins finished with seven points, seven rebounds and six assists.
Connor McCaffery had 10 rebounds to go along with four assists and three points.
The Hawkeyes (16-9, 8-6), who never trailed, shot 27 of 72 (37.5%) from the field, including 5 of 13 (38.5%) from 3-point range. Iowa, which has won four its past five games, scored 14 points off Minnesota's 14 turnovers, while the Golden Gophers mustered just two points off the Hawkeyes' five miscues.
Minnesota (7-15, 1-11), which has dropped eight straight games and 10 of its past 11 contests, was led by Jaden Henley's 10 points, five rebounds and three assists. Joshua Ola-Joseph added 11 points, while Ta'lon Cooper chipped in 10 and Jamison Battle had nine.
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The Golden Gophers continued to struggle without Dawson Garcia, their leading scorer (14.9 points per game) and rebounder (6.3 per game), who has missed five straight games and is out indefinitely with a bruised bone in his foot.
The Golden Gophers shot 23 of 46 (50%) from the field, including 3 of 9 (33.3%) from beyond the arc on Sunday.
Minnesota pulled to within 39-37 on Ola-Joseph's 3-pointer with 16:53 remaining, but Iowa responded with a 9-2 run to take a 48-39 advantage following Murray's layup with 13:15 to go.
Murray's 3-pointer pushed Iowa's lead to 64-52 with 4:36 remaining.
After Rebraca's layup gave the Hawkeyes an 18-6 lead with 11:53 left in the first half, the Golden Gophers chipped away and pulled to within 32-29 at halftime.
Minnesota was led by Henley's seven first-half points, with Ola-Joseph adding six.
It was Minnesota’s first game since losing 81-46 at home to Maryland on Feb. 4 with the Feb. 7 contest at Illinois postponed due to COVID-19 issues within the Gophers program. That game has been rescheduled for Feb. 20.
Minnesota plays at Michigan State on Wednesday.
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The St. Paul Pioneer Press contributed to this report.
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