North Florida Ospreys vs Minnesota Golden Gophers Box Score on Dec 11, 2018

Minnesota sophomore point guard Isaiah Washington broke out of a three-game slump with 14 points and a career-high 13 assists as the host Golden Gophers defeated North Florida 80-71 in Minneapolis on Tuesday night.

Washington's double-double came after he combined for just five points and four assists in his last three games.

The Golden Gophers played without senior guard Dupree McBrayer, who flew home to New York earlier in the week for the funeral of his mother.

Coming off the bench, Washington shot 4-for-8 from the field and 6-for-8 on free throws for the Gophers (9-2). His previous high in assists was 11 against Omaha on Nov. 6.

"He was really, really intelligent," Minnesota coach Richard Pitino said. "I told him (tonight) was a perfect opportunity for him to earn playing time."

Senior forward Jordan Murphy tallied a team highs with 20 points and 18 rebounds. Junior guard Amir Coffey added 18 points and six rebounds, while freshman center Daniel Oturu finished with 13 points and 11 boards.

The Ospreys (4-6) made the Gophers work for the win, despite shooting just 41 percent (26-for-63) from the field. Junior guard Garrett Sams paced the Ospreys with 13 points, three rebounds and three assists.

In a back-and-forth second half, the Ospreys led 46-45 after Ezekiel Balogun's layup with 14:05 left.

Coffey then scored two consecutive baskets to ignite an 8-3 run that gave the Gophers a 53-49 lead after Washington's jumper at the 11:42 mark.

Two minutes later, after the Ospreys had a chance to take the lead but turned the ball over, Washington gave the Gophers some breathing room with a 10-foot jumper for a 67-64 lead with 4:06 left to end a field-goal drought that lasted just over four minutes.

--Field Level Media