(Colton Iverson)The Gophers improved to 5-0 Wednesday night, defeating Eastern Washington by a score of 88-67 at The Barn. With Lawrence Westbrook not playing due to a deep shin bruise, the Gophers needed someone to ignite the offense. Freshman Colten Iverson did just that with 14 first half points. Iverson aggressively looked for his shot all night. He finished with 20 points, shooting 10-13 from the field.
The Gophers capped a 15-0 run midway through the first half, giving them a 24-11 lead.
With just under 4 minutes remaining in the first half, Al Nolen fed Devron Bostick for an easy breakaway dunk as the Gophers scored 9 unanswered points.
At the break the hot shooting Gophers led 47-29, hitting 63% of their field goals.
Eastern Washington simply could not counter the Gophers offensive efficiency, even with Texas Tech transfer Benny Valentine's 29 point night. The Gophers displayed patience on the offensive end, attacking EW on the interior without forcing the ball inside. This approach proved to be affective, as five Gopher players finished in double figures.
The Gophers next action comes Saturday at home against NDSU.
Minnesota Gophers Writer: Michael Rietmulder