PROVIDENCE, R.I. _ More often than not when a team gets off to a fast start on the road, that's a great sign that they won't let the hostile environment get them rattled.
So when Nate Mason's 3-pointer capped a 12-0 run to open the first half for the Gophers on Monday night against Providence that certainly made it seem like were in control no matter what happened next.
The 14th-ranked Gophers ended up trailing at halftime, but a late second-half surge and Jordan Murphy's 23 points and 14 rebounds led to an 86-74 victory against the Friars at Dunkin' Donuts Center.
Minnesota was a 3 {-point underdog entering the Gavitt Tipoff Games matchup not having proven worthy yet of a preseason top 25 ranking. But Richard Pitino's team silenced their critics Monday in his return to his alma mater.
Following his 35-point, 15-rebound performance in the season opener last week, Murphy had 17 points in the second half against Providence. Nate Mason also finished with 17 points for the Gophers (2-0), who showed how valuable experience could be this season.
After losing five straight games a season ago in Big Ten play, Minnesota found ways to win close games and come from behind to finish strong. That led to an eight-game winning streak and Pitino's first NCAA Tournament appearance. All five starters were back this year _ and they combined for 76 points Monday.
Trailing Providence by three with 12:32 left in the second half, Minnesota used a 17-5 run to pull away from one of the Big East's top teams. Amir Coffey, who had 15 points, nailed back-to-back 3-pointers to make it 72-63 at the seven-minute mark.
Providence answered to cut it to single digits once more, but Murphy scored on consecutive baskets, including a spinning layup for a 12-point advantage at 5:48.
The Friars had five starters back from an NCAA Tournament team, just like their Big Ten opponent. They were unranked and played with a chip on their shoulder taking a 39-36 halftime lead Monday.
After trailing 12-2 in the first four minutes of the game, Providence settled down and outplayed the Gophers the rest of the first half. Back-to-back three-pointers from Isaiah Jackson and Jalen Lindsey gave them their biggest lead at 39-33.
The Friars frontcourt exploited Minnesota's lack of depth.
The Gophers truly found out Monday how much they miss injured post Eric Curry when foul trouble plagued them.
Starting center Reggie Lynch scored the first basket of the second half to cut it to a one-point game, but he picked up his third foul in less than a minute. Lynch, who had 12 points and five rebounds, wouldn't return to the game until nine minutes later.
Curry would replace Lynch at center last season, which gave Minnesota a different look with his ability to score, rebound and defend bigger and smaller players. The 6-foot-9 Memphis native also stayed on the court.
Coming off his own knee injury last year, Davonte Fitzgerald tried to make up for Curry's absence against the Friars, but his lack of size at 6-8 made it tough to handle Providence's big men. Both Fitzgerald and backup center Bakary Konate had four fouls with just under 15 minutes remaining in the second half.
Providence was already in the bonus, but the Gophers wouldn't let them take advantage.
