MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -Lawrence Westbrook won a terrific duel with Talor Battle, tying his career high with 29 points to lead Minnesota to a 75-70 victory over Penn State on Tuesday night in a Big Ten opener.
Battle had 23 points, six rebounds and four assists for the Nittany Lions (8-5, 0-1) but couldn't quite match Westbrook shot for shot down the stretch.
The senior guard for the Gophers (10-3, 1-0) made 11 of his 16 shots and tied a career high with four 3-pointers. Blake Hoffarber added 11 points.
Andrew Jones had 12 points and eight rebounds for Penn State, and David Jackson added 11 points.
But it came down to a thrilling display of shotmaking from Westbrook and Battle.
Battle's 3-pointer gave the Lions a 53-50 lead with under 10 minutes to go, but Westbrook hit three 3-pointers in a span of 2:30 later the second half.
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