Joe Coleman scored a career-high 29 points and Trevor Mbakwe added 19 points and 11 rebounds as the 8th ranked Gophers routed No. 12 Illinois 84-67 on the road Wednesday night.
Andre Hollins also played great. The sophomore from Memphis finished with 22 points, eight rebounds and six assists.
The negative from the performance was Minnesota’s bench, which failed to score in the game. All 74 points came from the starters.
Illinois game into the game as the best three-point shooting team in the Big Ten, but the Gophers’ defense held the Illini to 3-23 (13-percent) shooting from beyond the arc.
Andre Hollins has been named one of 20 finalists for the Bob Cousy Award, given to the nation’s top point guard. Hollins is averaging 13.5 points per game in his second season with the Gophers. The finalists will be trimmed to 10 and five over the next two months.
