Northwestern Vs. Minnesota Final Score: Golden Gophers Roll To Third Straight Win, 75-52

The Minnesota Golden Gophers remained on a roll Sunday evening, beating the Northwestern Wildcats 75-52 to win their third-straight Big Ten game while making their way toward the middle of the pack in the conference.

The Gophers set the tone early ambushing the Wildcats with an 11-0 start and never looked back, leading by 16 points at the half and then extending that lead to the final 23-point margin in impressive fashion. Coach Tubby Smith had his team executing well on offense, working the ball for good shots without relying on the three-point shot.

All five starters scored in double figures for Minnesota with Joe Coleman leading the way with 16 points and 5 rebounds. Fellow guard Julian Welch made 7 of 8 shots to score 14 points with 7 rebounds and 5 assists.

Northwestern struggled to shooting most of the game as they turned to the three-point line while playing from behind. As a team, the Wildcats shot 32.7% from the field and made just 8 of 26 (31%) three-point attempts. John Shurna led Northwestern with 21 points, while Alex Marcotullio added 11 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists.

Minnesota will put their win streak to the test on Wednesday when they hit the road to play the Michigan State Spartans in the hostile Breslin Center.

For more on the Minnesota Golden Gophers, check out The Daily Gopher. You can also head over to SB Nation's main NCAA Basketball hub at SBNation.com/NCAA-Basketball.

Northwestern Vs. Minnesota Score Update: Golden Gophers Start Strong, Take 41-24 Lead To Halftime

The Minnesota Golden Gophers were ready to play from the opening tip as they opened the game with an 11-0 run against the Northwestern Wildcats. The Gophers maintained the advantage throughout the first half before taking a 41-24 lead to the break.

Minnesota held Northwestern scoreless for more than seven minutes to open the game until David Curletti finally broke through with a layup to get the Wildcats on the board. Through a combination of good defense and poor execution, the Wildcats flat out struggled to put the ball in the basket before starting to find the range just before the half, but still just making 9 of 30 shots.

John Shurna leads the Wildcats with 8 points and Alex Marcotullio made a pair of three-pointers off the bench to add 6 points.

Meanwhile the Gophers are sharing the ball and the scoring load, with Ralph Sampson III going to work inside early for 8 points and 4 rebounds. Gaurd Joe Coleman added 8 points, as well with forward Rodney Williams leading the way with 9 points. The Gophers also have 8 steals which helped fueled the fast start.

Northwestern Vs. Minnesota: Golden Gophers Return Home Looking To Extend Winning Streak

Minnesota tries to win their third straight Big Ten game against Northwestern.