Kel'el Ware's 26 points help Indiana cruise past Minnesota

Kel'el Ware had 26 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks to lead Indiana to a 70-58 win over Minnesota on Wednesday in Minneapolis.

Mackenzie Mgbako scored 15 points and Trey Galloway added 13 points, 11 assists and five steals for Indiana (17-13, 9-10 Big Ten), which won its third straight game overall and eighth straight against Minnesota.

Indiana shot 54.5 percent from the field (30 of 55) overall and went 5 of 8 from 3-point range.

Parker Fox, coming off the bench, scored 14 points and Mike Mitchell Jr. added 13 points in defeat for the Golden Gophers, who shot 38.6 percent from the field overall (22 of 57), 19.2 percent from 3-point range (5 of 26) and committed 18 turnovers.

Dawson Garcia finished with 12 points and 12 rebounds for Minnesota, which has lost three of its past four games.

Indiana made four of its first six shots from 3-point range in the second half and built a 59-40 lead, but consecutive 3-pointers by Mitchell and Cam Christie brought Minnesota to within 59-46 with 5:05 remaining in the game.

But Indiana stopped any momentum from Minnesota there, going back up by 19 at 67-48 with 2:08 left after a basket by Galloway to all but wrap up the game.

Indiana held a 30-25 lead at halftime, and then stretched its lead to 41-30 with 13:27 remaining in the game after a basket by Ware that forced a Minnesota timeout.

The Hoosiers continued to expand their lead, going up 47-32 with 11:40 left after a 3-pointer by Mgbako.

Malik Reneau then hit a pair of free throws with 6:40 remaining to give Indiana a 59-40 lead.

Minnesota held a 23-18 lead with 7:52 remaining in the first half before Indiana found some rhythm.

The Hoosiers answered with a 10-0 run over the next 3:21 to take a 28-23 lead with 4:31 left until halftime.

—Field Level Media