INDIANAPOLIS -- Devoe Joseph scored 15 points to help Minnesota beat Penn State 76-55 on Thursday night in the first round of the Big Ten tournament.
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Colton Iverson scored 12 points, Damian Johnson scored 11 and Lawrence Westbrook added 10 for the Golden Gophers (19-12), who advanced to play No. 11 Michigan State on Friday in a quarterfinal. Michigan State won both regular-season games against Minnesota by a combined eight points.
The sixth-seeded Golden Gophers have won five of their last seven, including a victory over now-No. 13 Wisconsin. A win over Michigan State would strengthen Minnesota's case for an NCAA tournament bid.
Talor Battle, Chris Babb, Andrew Jones and David Jackson each scored 10 points for Penn State (11-20), the tournament's 11th seed. Battle, a second-team all-conference pick, was held to 3-for-10 shooting.
