Minnesota Sports Roundup: Gopher's men's hoops defeat Northwestern

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MINNEAPOLIS - University of Minnesota junior guard Austin Hollins nailed five shots from three-point range in the second half to push No. 9 Minnesota past Northwestern 69-51 last night in Minneapolis.

The Golden Gophers scored 52 second half points behind Hollins, after leading only 17-14 at halftime. Gopher senior Rodney Williams chipped in with nine points and entered the 1000-point club with Minnesota. Senior Trevor Mbakwe hauled in 11 rebounds in the victory.

The Golden Gophers are now 14-1 on the season and 2-0 in the Big Ten. Minnesota plays at Illinois on Wednesday night.

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The University of Minnesota women's basketball overcame a rough shooting day from star player Rachel Banham and beat Wisconsin 60-55 in Madison yesterday. Banham was 0-for-10 from the floor, but still scored nine points from the free throw to help the Gophers record their first Big Ten win of the season. Minnesota is 1-1 in the league and 12-4 overall. Micaella Riche scored 14 to lead the Gophers, who host Ohio State on Thursday.

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The Minnesota Timberwolves waived forward Lazar Hayward just one week after signing him to a contract. Minnesota inked Hayward to a deal on New Year's Eve and he appeared in two games for the Wolves, scoring two points. The team plays Atlanta at the Target Center tomorrow night at 7 p.m.

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The NHL and its players' union have reached a tentative deal that would end the current lockout. League Commissioner Gary Bettman says the deal came after a marathon 16-hour bargaining session with federal mediator Scot Beckenbaugh that lasted until early Sunday morning. Multiple sources say the tentative deal would be for ten years, but would allow either side to opt out after an eight-year period. The deal would also limit player contracts to seven years, though teams could sign their own players to eight year deals It would also set a salary cap of 64-point-three-million dollars for the 2013-14 hockey season. Any agreement must still be approved by the NHL's Board of Governors and the membership of the players' union. The agreement would pave the way for a 48-game season that would tentatively begin January 19th.

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Minnesota Vikings players will be cleaning out their lockers at Winter Park this morning, just two days after their season ended with a 24-10 playoff loss at Green Bay. Head coach Leslie Frazier will meet with reporters tomorrow to discuss the season and look ahead. Minnesota surprised most football fans by improving from 3-and-13 last year to 10-and-6 and in the playoffs this season.

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