Spring, Mason lead Minnesota back to 74-68 win against NJIT

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Akeem Springs came off the bench to score 19 points and Nate Mason added 18 for Minnesota, which came from behind in the second half and escaped with a 74-68 victory against NJIT on Tuesday night.

Springs and Mason each hit four 3-pointers as Minnesota was 9 of 21 from beyond the arc. Freshman Amir Coffey added 13 points and eight rebounds for the Gophers (8-1), who have equaled their win total from last season.

A back-and-forth affair saw 13 lead changes, but NJIT never led by more than three points before Minnesota used a 7-0 run to take a 65-61 lead.

Rob Ukawuba led the Highlanders (5-5) with 18 points. Damon Lynn had 12 points but shot 5 of 24 from the field. NJIT committed just seven turnovers but shot 34.2 percent from the field and was 8 of 32 from 3.