Minnesota 78, Middle Tennessee 72: Rodney Williams scored a career-high 24 points and freshman Andre Hollins added 24 and six rebounds to lead the Golden Gophers to their third consecutive road win in the NIT. Minnesota is headed to New York City to face Washington in the semifinals Tuesday at Madison Square Garden.

The Golden Gophers (22-14) trailed by four at halftime, but quickly erased the deficit after the break and took the lead for good with 13:59 left.
Despite playing without 6-foot-11 senior Ralph Sampson III, who missed his third consecutive game with a knee injury, the Golden Gophers were able to exploit their size advantage.

At 6-7, Williams presented a matchup problem on the perimeter and was able to top 20 points for the fourth consecutive game before leaving with a severe calf cramp in the final minute.

Six-foot-11 freshman Elliott Eliason added a career-high 12 points to go with seven rebounds and two blocks. Eliason's previous high was eight against Virginia Tech on Nov. 30.

Marcos Knight had 19 points and eight rebounds to lead Middle Tennessee State (27-7), but the Golden Gophers did a nice job of neutralizing Sun Belt Player of the Year LaRon Dendy for most of the night.

Dendy was held scoreless for the first 19 minutes and finished with 11 points and six rebounds.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Hollins has scored in double digits in seven consecutive games. He hit double figures only five times in the previous 28 games. … Minnesota, which also has won at La Salle and Miami in the tournament, spoiled Middle Tennessee State's first home game in the NIT since 1988. … The Golden Gophers improved to 6-6 on the road, while the Blue Raiders finished 16-2 at home. … The Golden Gophers committed only three turnovers in the second half after turning it over 11 times in the first half.