Blake Hoffarber scored 20 points and Ralph Sampson III added 17 to lead Minnesota to a 109-59 victory over Northeastern State on Tuesday night in the exhibition opener for both teams.
Minnesota scored the game's first 12 points and built a 53-12 lead, allowing fourth-year coach Tubby Smith to tinker with lineup combinations.
It was the first appearance in a Gophers uniform for power forward Trevor Mbakwe, who sat out last season because of legal issues. The 6-foot-8 junior scored 13 points, two coming on a powerful one-handed dunk.
The Gophers close out their exhibition schedule on Monday against Winona State, with their regular season opener on Nov. 12 against Wofford.
Dominique Gaines scored 18 points for Division II Northeastern State, which opens its regular season Nov. 13 at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
