Gophers 1-1 After Topping W. Kentucky

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — DeAndre Mathieu had 11 points, six assists and five rebounds, helping Minnesota control the pace from start to finish in a 76-54 victory Tuesday over Western Kentucky.

Mo Walker led the Gophers (1-1) with 14 points, Joey King scored 10 and Elliott Eliason added seven, as the frontcourt had short shot after short shot set up by Mathieu's deft driving to the basket.

Nate Mason pitched in 10 points, and the Gophers built a 46-28 halftime edge behind 6-for-11 shooting from 3-point range. They led by as many as 25 points in the second half, despite being outrebounded 42-41.

Nigel Snipes scored 15 points and hit 4 of 6 attempts behind the arc for the Hilltoppers (1-1), who fell behind 18-6 early and never came closer than 10 points after that. Justin Johnson had 15 points, too, but beyond those two the rest of the team shot 7 for 38.