Minnesota 84, Western Carolina 64: DeAndre Mathieu and Carlos Morris led a balanced attack with 16 points apiece and the host Golden Gophers pulled away in the second half against the Catamounts.

Five players scored in double figures for Minnesota (6-2), which improved to 4-0 at home. Andre Hollins had 15 points, Joey King added 13 and Nate Mason chipped in 11 off the bench as the Golden Gophers shot 57.4 percent from the floor.

Mike Brown had 21 points and eight rebounds to lead Western Carolina (3-6), which turned the ball over 24 times. James Sinclair added 13 points, seven rebounds and seven assists and was the only other Catamounts player to reach double figures in scoring.

Western Carolina led by as many as six points in the early going before Minnesota clamped down defensively, forcing four turnovers during a 10-0 run capped by consecutive layups by Morris and Mathieu. The teams swapped leads six times late in the half, but a critical Morris jumper with 50 seconds remaining helped give the Golden Gophers a 39-38 edge at the break.

The teams remained close until 13:06 remained, when a Hollins layup finished off a 9-3 spurt that gave Minnesota a seven-point advantage. Justin Browning closed the gap with a 3-pointer, but Morris answered with a long-range shot of his own, Mason added a 3 on the Golden Gophers' next possession to stretch the advantage to 10 and the Catamounts didn't threaten again.

GAME NOTEBOOK:The teams combined for two field goals - one each - in the opening 3 1/2 minutes of the second half. ... Minnesota, which came into the game ranked 12th in the nation in assists per game, racked up 23 on 31 made field goals. ... The Catamounts have allowed an average of 84 points during their three-game losing streak.