Final Stats

Minneapolis, Minn. - After trailing by just one point at halftime, the Western Carolina men's basketball was outscored 45-26 in the second half Friday night at the University of Minnesota in Williams Arena as the Golden Gophers took an 84-64 victory. The Golden Gophers shot 58.1 percent from the field in the second half while forcing 12 WCU turnovers.

Junior Mike Brown led all scorers with a career-high 21 points while going 4-6 from 3-point range. He also led all rebounders with eight boards as the Catamounts outrebounded the Golden Gophers 34-26. Senior James Sinclair was Western Carolina's only other double-figure scorer with 13 points. Sinclair came close to a triple-double with seven rebounds and seven assists in the loss.

Juniors Torrion Brummitt and Justin Browning each fouled out with eight points and seven rebounds.

The loss moves WCU's record to 3-6 while Minnesota improved to 6-2.

The Catamounts had 24 turnovers in the contest which led to 29 Minnesota points. Another big deficit came at the free throw line where Minnesota knocked down 15 of 23 attempts while the Catamounts went to the line just five times and nailed four.

Junior Rhett Harrelson stole the ball on Minnesota's opening possession and nailed a 3-pointer to give WCU the first basket and lead of the contest. The Catamounts held onto the lead for the opening four minutes with the largest margin coming at 10-4. A 10-0 run by the Gophers turned the tide and gave Minnesota a 14-10 lead with just under 15 minutes to play. The Catamounts kept the score close throughout the opening period.

A 7-0 run by WCU with under eight minutes to play regained the lead for the Catamounts. Brown, senior Kenneth Hall and Sinclair combined for the seven points to give WCU a 27-25 lead. The two teams exchanged the lead five more times over the next several minutes with Minnesota holding the slight edge at the break, 39-38.

The second half was a battle for the opening eight minutes but as the Catamounts began to get into foul trouble the Gophers pulled away. Minnesota closed the game on a 20-9 run as they took an 84-64 victory.

Minnesota had five players in double-figures including DeAndre Mathieu and Carlos Morris who led the squad with 16 points a piece.

The Catamounts will now take off a week for finals before returning to action Tuesday, Dec. 16 at SEC foe Vanderbilt. The game will be aired on the SEC Network and will tip at 9 pm.