Loewe, Battle help Minnesota cruise past Northwestern 77-60

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Luke Loewe scored 24 points, Jamison Battle had 21 points and 14 rebounds, and Minnesota cruised to a 77-60 victory over Northwestern. Loewe made 9 of 13 from the floor, including six 3-pointers, and had seven assists. Battle collected a fourth double-double on 8-of-13 shooting to go with a career-high five assists. E.J. Stephens added 15 points and Sean Sutherlin 11. The pair had a combined nine assists for Minnesota (13-12, 4-12 Big Ten), which has won two of its last four since ending a five-game losing streak. Pete Nance scored 18 points and Boo Buie 16 for Northwestern (12-13, 5-11).