Murray, Iowa thwart Minnesota comeback bid for 81-71 victory

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Sophomore Keegan Murray scored 25 points and grabbed 10 rebounds and Iowa withstood a furious comeback by shorthanded Minnesota to beat the Golden Gophers 81-71. Murray sank 11 of 17 shots from the floor in notching his fourth double-double of the season for the Hawkeyes (13-4, 3-3 Big Ten Conference). Payton Sandfort scored in the paint to push Iowa’s lead to 66-46 with 10:24 remaining and after the teams traded baskets Treyton Thompson scored eight points in a 22-6 run to get Minnesota (10-5, 1-5) within 72-68 with 2:47 left to play. Jamison Battle’s 3-pointer pulled the Golden Gophers within 74-71, but Murray answered with a 3 for Iowa with 59 seconds to go and Bohannon made four free throws in the last 30 seconds.