Trevor Mbakwe had 13 points and 13 rebounds and hit a pair of shots during a pivotal second-half run that lifted No. 20 Minnesota to a 66-58 victory over Akron Wednesday night.

Mbakwe, who came in averaging 13.2 points and 10.8 boards per game, helped the Golden Gophers (10-1) take charge after a disappointing first half left them down 32-27 at the break. After the Zips (4-4) took a 39-38 lead on a Nikola Cvetinovic layup with 11:41 remaining in the game, Mbakwe answered with a layup of his own to put Minnesota back in front.

That sparked a game-altering 9-0 run, capped by another Mbakwe layup, and the Golden Gophers weren't challenged the rest of the way.

Blake Hoffarber also had 13 points for Minnesota, while Rodney Williams had 12 and Devoe Joseph added 11.

Steve McNees had 12 points to lead Akron but shot just 4-for-17 from the field, including a 3-for-13 showing from beyond the arc.

Minnesota finished with a 45-32 rebounding edge, with 15 of those coming on the offensive end.