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The Wildcats held the lead for the remainder of the contest.
• Maintaining its edge on rebounding proved to be crucial for the Wildcats. Four different players grabbed at least five rebounds including Gipson leading the way with eight.
• The win pushed Bruce Weber's record at Kansas State to 25-2 when it outrebounds its opponent.
• South Dakota attempted to close the gap by putting the Wildcats on the free throw line and it nearly paid off. The Wildcats closed the game with a 3-for-8 performance from the line, and a half-court heave from South Dakota's Brandon Bos fell short at the final buzzer.
• "It'd be nice to make some free throws and it'd make it a lot easier, but we did find a way to win," Weber said. "Everyone knows we need to get better. If we don't, competition gets bigger and better and it's going to be tougher and tougher if we don't make some improvement."
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Minnesota beats South Dakota State 75-59
DAVE CAMPBELL, AP Sports Writer
• MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Even with every player on the roster healthy and available, Minnesota was going to be thin in the frontcourt this season.
• Austin Hollins, with every inch of his 6-foot-4 frame, has been doing all he can to help.
• Hollins scored 20 points and grabbed a career-high 14 rebounds, and Minnesota pulled away from South Dakota State for a 75-59 victory Tuesday night.
• "He's a pro," teammate DeAndre Mathieu said. "I didn't doubt it. I knew he was going to bring his all. Coach challenged him to be the best rebounder in the Big Ten, and he's bringing it."
• Mathieu added 15 points, and Elliott Eliason had 10 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks for the Gophers (9-2), who had 21 assists and only seven turnovers. They held a 40-30 rebounding advantage, due in large part to the lanky leaper Hollins who'd be a shooting guard on some teams but has been playing both of the forward spots on this quick-but-small squad. Hollins entered the night 10th in the conference in rebounds and raised his per-game average to 7.4.
• "I definitely couldn't have predicted that, but I put in a lot of work in the offseason and it's really starting to pay off. I can really see the changes," Hollins said.
• Jordan Dykstra led the Jackrabbits (4-7) with 16 points and 16 rebounds, and Chad White added 15 points.
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