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MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. -- The University of Minnesota used a convincing scoring advantage to open the second half that keyed an 84-67 victory over UT Arlington Monday night at Williams Arena.

Sun Belt Conference favorite UT Arlington dropped to 1-1 on the season, while the Big Ten Conference's Golden Gophers improved to 2-0.

Senior guard Jalen Jones led the Mavericks in scoring with 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting. Junior Erick Neal added 12 points, all in the first half, and distributed a team-high five assists.

Reggie Lynch led six Minnesota players in double figures with 14 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the field. Jordan Murphy added 11 points and a game-high 12 rebounds.

As a team, UTA limited Minnesota's outside shooting with the Gophers making just four of 23 3-point attempts. But, Minnesota made 30 of its 40 free throw attempts and outrebounded the Mavericks 47-32, including 15-7 on the offensive glass.

With UTA taking a 41-35 lead into halftime, Minnesota came out of the break on a 24-3 scoring run and led by as many as 20 points down the stretch. The Mavericks went 0-for-12 from the field over the first 9:46 of the second half.

Key Stretches
First Half: After Minnesota's Eric Curry tied the game at 33-33 with 1:19 left in the first half, UTA's backcourt went to work. Erick Neal nailed a 3-pointer with :45 seconds left, then Kaelon Wilson converted a steal into a fast break dunk to give UTA a 38-33 lead with :34 seconds on the clock. Gopher guard Akeem Springs made two free throws to cut the lead to three points before Neal ran down the clock then drained another 3-pointer with just :01 second left to give the Mavericks a 41-35 halftime lead.
Second Half: UTA went 0-for-12 from the field over the first 9:46 of the second half. During that time, Minnesota shot 8-of-13 from the field and 7-of-10 from the free throw line. The Golden Gophers went on a 22-1 run to lead by as many as 15 points during the first 10 minutes of the half after trailing by six points at the break. UTA registered 11 fouls and six turnovers during that defining period of the game.

Key Stat
Shooting from all areas of the floor was a concern for UT Arlington. The Mavericks shot just 39.3 percent from the field, 38.5 percent from the 3-point arc and 59.1 percent from the free throw line. After leading the nation in rebounding a year ago, UTA was outrebounded 47-32 and did not register an offensive board in the second half.

Up Next
UT Arlington returns to action Wednesday in its second of a 3-game road trip. The Mavericks face Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) in a 6 p.m. (Central) tipoff at Alico Arena. The game will be streamed live on ESPN3 with audio coverage on UTAMavs.com, KEXB 620 AM and through the popular TuneIn app on computers, smartphones and tablets.

Following a Friday night game at Arkansas, the Mavericks return home to host St. Francis (Ill.) Monday at 7 p.m. in College Park Center. Tickets are available online at UTATickets.com or by calling the UTA Box Office at (817) 272-9595 during weekday business hours. A variety of ticket packages are available.