Mathieu, Morris carry Gophers to win against Western Carolina

MINNEAPOLIS – DeAndre Mathieu and Carlos Morris led a balanced attack with 16 points apiece as the University of Minnesota men’s basketball team pulled away in the second half against Western Carolina for an 84-64 victory Friday at Williams Arena.
Five players scored in double figures for Minnesota (6-2), which improved to 4-0 at home. Andre Hollins had 15 points, Joey King added 13, and Nate Mason chipped in 11 off the bench as the Golden Gophers shot 57.4 percent from the floor.
Mike Brown had 21 points and eight rebounds to lead Western Carolina (3-6), which turned the ball over 24 times. James Sinclair added 13 points, seven rebounds and seven assists and was the only other Catamounts player to reach double figures in scoring.
Western Carolina led by as many as six points in the early going before Minnesota clamped down defensively, forcing four turnovers during a 10-0 run capped by consecutive layups by Morris and Mathieu. The teams swapped leads six times late in the half, but a critical Morris jumper with 50 seconds remaining helped give the Golden Gophers a 39-38 edge at the break.
WESTERN CAROLINA (64): De.Peterson 6-16 0-0 13, Sinclair 2-9 0-0 6, Mk.Brown 8-12 1-1 21, Brummitt 3-10 2-2 8, Harrelson 3-4 0-0 7, Ke.Hall 1-1 0-0 2, J.Browning 1-1 1-1 3, Ch.Brooks 1-2 0-0 2, Tu.Thompson 1-1 0-1 2, As.Williams 0-0 0-0 0, Aa.Williams 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 26-56 4-5 64.
MINNESOTA (84): Jy.King 4-8 4-4 13, C.Morris 7-9 1-3 16, D.Mathieu 6-11 4-5 16, N.Mason 4-6 0-0 11, Hollins 6-13 1-2 15, Mu.Walker 3-5 3-4 9, E.Eliason 1-2 1-3 3, Buggs 0-0 1-2 1, Js.Martin 0-0 0-0 0, Shell 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 31-54 15-23 84.
Western Carolina 38 26 - 64
Minnesota 39 45 - 84
3-Point Goals: Western Carolina 8-22 (Mk.Brown 4-6, Sinclair 2-8, Harrelson 1-2, De.Peterson 1-4, Brummitt 0-2), Minnesota 7-16 (N.Mason 3-5, Hollins 2-6, Jy.King 1-1, C.Morris 1-3, D.Mathieu 0-1). Fouled out: Brummitt, Harrelson. Rebounds: Western Carolina 34 (Mk.Brown 8), Minnesota 26 (Jy.King, E.Eliason 5). Assists: Western Carolina 16 (De.Peterson 7), Minnesota 23 (D.Mathieu 6). Total Fouls: Western Carolina 23 (Brummitt, Harrelson 5), Minnesota 15 (Hollins 4). A-11,026.