College Basketball

Gophers knock off SMSU in hoops exhibition, 81-64

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 9:55 p.m. ET

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The Minnesota men's basketball squad solidly defeated instate opponent Southwest Minnesota State, 81-64 on Friday, in an exhibition contest at Williams Arena.

The Gophers shot 51.1 percent from the field and were led by veteran guard Carlos Morris' 23 points.

Fellow guard Nate Mason also had a huge night for Minnesota, as he filled the stat sheet to the tune of 14 points, seven assists and seven rebounds. Additionally, forward Joey King added 17 points to the Gophers' cause.

Minnesota connected on 25 of 32 (78.1 percent) free-throw attempts on the night, as an announced crowd of 10,106 looked on.

The Gophers' only blemish on the night was being outrebounded by a 41-28 margin.

Southwest Minnesota state, which shot just 26.5 percent from 3-point territory, was led by forwards Joey Bartlett and Mitch Weg, who both had 12 points.