By Ray Richardson
Lawrence Westbrook knew it was going to be a memorable night in Williams Arena. The University of Minnesota was celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Gophers men’s basketball team that advanced to the Mideast Regional final of the 1990 NCAA tournament.
Former Gophers coach Clem Haskins and virtually his entire team from that season was in town for the Gophers’ Big Ten Conference opener Tuesday night, and Westbrook wanted to put on a good show for his predecessors.
The senior guard spent most of the day in Williams working on his jumper, and the extra practice paid off. Westbrook hit three of his four three-pointers in the second half and matched his career-high with 29 points to spark the Gophers to a 75-70 victory over Penn State before a sellout crowd of 14,625.
“That’s what I’m here for … to score,” Westbrook said. “I always like to get in some extra shooting when I can.”
The Gophers (10-3) won their Big Ten opener for the first time since the 2006-07 season after opening with losses to Michigan State the past two seasons.
Westbrook made 11 of 16 shots from the floor, including 4 of 6 three-pointers. He also sank two free throws in the final 40 seconds to help the Gophers hold off Penn State (8-5)….
Read it all: Lawrence Westbrook ignites Gophers in Big Ten opener in front of U’s former stars – TwinCities.com.