Gophers cruise to win over North Dakota in season opener

The Gophers men s basketball team had no problem with North Dakota in a 85-50 win in the season opener at The Barn on Monday. Bobby Durkin led five scorers in double figures with 16 points on four 3-pointers, while Jaylen Crocker-Johnson added 15 and Isaac Asuma and Malick Kordel each had 13. The Gophers will host St. Thomas at 7 p.m. Friday. The Tommies are projected to finish second in the Summit League preseason poll this season, while North Dakota was picked to finish sixth in the eight-team league. Gophers 7-foot-2 center Malick Kordel had four dunks during an 18-0 outburst early in the second half. On Monday, the Gophers cruised through first half leading by as many as 23 and by 16 at the half. Minnesota had 13 assists on 15 field goals, which was a staple under head coach Niko Medved last year. In the first half, Durkin led all scorers with 12 points on 4 for 5 deep. UND had a putrid start from the field in the first half, making 4 of 28 (14%) but m