Freshman Williams sparks 24th-ranked Minnesota in 82-42 win over Stephen F. Austin

No. 24 Minnesota runs past Stephen F. Austin 82-42

MINNEAPOLIS — High-flying freshman Rodney Williams had three dunks and a pair of 3s, finishing with 14 points to help 24th-ranked Minnesota pull away from Stephen F. Austin in an 82-42 victory on Monday night.

Lawrence Westbrook and Devoe Joseph led the Gophers (2-0) with 15 points apiece and Damian Johnson contributed 11 second-half points, five assists and five steals to lead the romp after a rough start. Minnesota went 11 for 19 from 3-point range.

Eddie Williams scored 12 points for the Lumberjacks (0-1), who had eight shots blocked by the lanky, long-armed Gophers.

Rodney Williams is one of those leapers, and his athleticism already has the attention of the home crowd at the 81-year-old arena that’s coincidentally in his last name. The student section started chanting his name early in the second half shortly after Johnson tossed Williams an alley-oop pass to cap a two-on-one fastbreak with a ferocious dunk.

Westbrook followed with a 3-pointer to stretch the lead to 12, and Minnesota was off from there. The Gophers used a 27-3 run — including 18-0 — bridging the intermission to run away with this one.

The Lumberjacks, who beat Oklahoma two years ago, have two more opportunities to knock off a major-conference team. They host Texas Tech and play at Arkansas over the next month.

After finishing 24-8 and appearing in the NCAA tournament for the first time in the program’s 86-year history, SFA lost the heart of last season’s team and suited up eight newcomers for this opener. The Lumberjacks, predicted to win the Southland Conference’s East Division by league coaches in a preseason poll, have gone hard after junior college transfers under coach Danny Kaspar. They have four players from McLennan Community College in Waco alone, including 5-foot-3 starting point guard Eric Bell.

Kaspar emphasizes tight defense: During the 2007-08 regular season, the Lumberjacks allowed an average of 55 points per game to rank second among all Division I teams.

They had the Gophers off their game, holding a 16-15 lead when 7 minutes were left in the first half, but Westbrook, Williams and Ralph Sampson got Minnesota going before the break.

The Gophers are still missing three players to indefinite suspensions while the courts, the school and coach Tubby Smith sort out various off-the-court issues.

Junior forward Trevor Mbakwe again sat on the bench in a shirt and tie, but freshman forward Royce White has been told to stay away from the team until his legal situation is cleared up. Senior guard Devron Bostick, punished for an unspecified violation of Smith’s rules, wasn’t present, either. Smith said after Saturday’s practice he was sick.