Anaheim, CA (Sports Network) - Damian Johnson finished with 18 points, four assists and four steals to lead 22nd-ranked Minnesota to an 82-73 win over No. 12 Butler at the 76 Classic.
Colton Iverson added 13 points and 11 rebounds for the Golden Gophers (4-0), who will play the winner of Portland-UCLA on Friday. Devoe Joseph and Blake Hoffarber had 14 and 12 points, respectively, in the victory.
Matt Howard made 15-of-18 free throws and ended with 23 points for the Bulldogs (3-1), who shot just 33.3 percent and went 5-of-23 from three-point range. Shelvin Mack added 20 points, and Gordon Hayward finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds in the loss.
Butler mostly trailed in the second half, though got within 73-69 with just under two minutes to play after Hayward and Mack each converted a three-point play. Joseph and Mack traded a pair of free throws, and the Bulldogs caught a break when Ralph Sampson III missed both foul shots with 1:26 left.
However, they couldn't take advantage, as Mack missed a three-pointer. Sampson went back to the line and sank both for a 77-71 edge, and Butler didn't make a field goal the rest of the way.
The Bulldogs held a four-point lead late in the first half, but Minnesota ended the period on a 9-1 run. Iverson had a layup in the stretch and ended it with two free throws to give the Gophers a 32-28 edge at the break.
The game was close in the early stages of the second, and a layup from Howard made it 38-38 with just under 15 minutes left. But Minnesota used another 9-1 run to gain the upper hand. Lawrence Westbrook capped the rally with a layup and three-pointer to make it a 47-39 game.
Several minutes later, Westbrook sank a layup and Johnson followed with a three to stretch the Gophers' lead to 59-49 with 7:24 on the clock.
Game Notes: Minnesota was 25-of-50 from the floor, including 9-of-19 from long distance...The Gophers sank 23-of-36 free throws, while the Bulldogs were 36- of-45 from the line...Sampson had three blocks.