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The No. 13 Minnesota Golden Gophers continued their strong run through the non-conference schedule by beating the North Dakota St. Bison by a score of 70-57 on Tuesday night.
Minnesota used an active defense to fuel the win with nine steals as they forced 14 turnovers by North Dakota St. Forward Trevor Mbakwe led the attack for the Gophers with 14 points on just six field goal attempts along with 18 rebounds for the game. Guard Andre Hollins added 11 points and six assists.
North Dakota State, one of the favorites in the Summit League, dropped to 8-3 on the season. Sophomore guard Lawrence Alexander paced the Bison with 19 points and six assists. Marshall Bjorklund added 12 points and five rebounds.
The Gophers won their seventh consecutive game to move to 11-1 for the season with one non-conference game remaining against Lafayette on Dec. 22. Big Ten play begins for Minnesota on Dec. 31 at home against Michigan State.