encouraging him, Mason said. That shows the unselfishness for our team.CURRYING FAVORCurry, a native of Little Rock, Arkansas, who was recrui

MINNEAPOLIS -- After losing more games last season than any other team in the 121-year history of Minnesotas program, the Gophers have played like a totally different group.Thats because they are, for the most part.Amir Coffey scored all 19 of his points in the second half, after Akeem Springs made three 3-pointers over the final 5 minutes of the first half to finish with 11 points and help Minnesota pull away for an 85-71 victory over Arkansas on Tuesday night.They should be confident. Theyve worked hard, coach Richard Pitino said. Theyve stayed humble throughout a tough offseason, and theyve just been eager to get back to proving themselves on and off the court.Nate Mason had 13 points and seven assists, Eric Curry added 12 points and Reggie Lynch and Jordan Murphy each added 10 points for the Gophers (5-0), who won their first five games to start a season for the first time in three years. With transfers Springs and Lynch and freshmen Coffey and Curry, theres a new look and some new life to this team after a miserable 8-23 finish.What the team went through last year, I think that matured everyone, Springs said.Dusty Hannahs scored 20 points and Moses Kingsley had 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Razorbacks (3-1), whose first road trip of the season was rough. They didnt make a 3-pointer until Hannahs hit one at the 4-minute mark and finished 1 for 8 after entering the game 24 for 54 from behind the arc (44.9 percent).Their 21 turnovers were their most since March 21, 2015, an NCAA tournament loss to North Carolina, and they had only six fast-break points after tallying 51 over the first three games. The Gophers had a 26-9 edge in points off turnovers.Weve just been being really sloppy, Hannahs said. It hasnt been like this is a random occurrence.The Gophers started slowly, but the Razorbacks missed nine of their first 10 shots from the floor and were outscored 25-6 over a stretch of more than 10 minutes. Springs swished two more 3-pointers after that run in the closing minutes of the first half, and the Gophers led by at least 14 points for the rest of the game.COFFEY BREAKThe freshman Coffey had 30 points on Friday against St. Johns and after a quiet first half got the crowd going with an array of fast-break dunks and slick layups plus a 3-pointer that gave the Gophers a 67-46 lead to match their largest of the game.Everybody knew he was struggling, so everybody kept going to him and encouraging him, Mason said. That shows the unselfishness for our team.CURRYING FAVORCurry, a native of Little Rock, Arkansas, who was recruited by the Razorbacks, went 8 for 8 from the free-throw line.HEY, WE PLAYED THEM TOOBoth Arkansas and Minnesota have already beaten Texas-Arlington, the team picked to win the Sun Belt Conference in a preseason coaches poll. The Gophers beat the Mavericks 84-67 on Nov. 14, and the Razorbacks edged UTA 71-67 on Friday.BIG PICTUREArkansas: A team picked to finish fifth in the preseason SEC media poll that tapped Kingsley as the player of the year, the Razorbacks must make some significant improvements to be competitive in a Dec. 17 game against No. 22 Texas. With an influx of junior-college transfers, chemistry is a work in progress.Theyre still learning how to play with one another, coach Mike Anderson said.Minnesota: After finishing as the third-worst team in the Big Ten in defense last season, with the second-highest percentage of 3-pointers allowed, the Gophers have been markedly better, beginning with the fundamentals of cutting off baseline drives and rotating over to help. Lynchs shot-blocking presence is a big boost too.Once youre getting stops, it makes the game a little bit easier for everyone, Springs said.UP NEXTArkansas returns home on Monday to host Mount St. Marys, the first of five straight home games.Minnesota hosts Southern Illinois on Friday, before the first road game on Monday at Florida State in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.---For more college basketball coverage: http://collegebasketball.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-Top25Sean Couturier Jersey . 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Howard scored 18 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter, including 13 of 19 free throws in a 2 1/2-minute stretch, and the Houston Rockets beat the Denver Nuggets 122-111.BALTIMORE -- Houston Astros manager A.J. Hinch has already described Yulieski Gurriel as an international star. Now, the 32-year-old Cuban is getting a chance to make his mark in the majors.Gurriel singled in his first big league at-bat Sunday after being called up from Triple-A Fresno earlier in the day.I wasnt sure I was going to get my first hit that fast, Gurriel said. I will take care of (the ball) and put it away and put in a place that is very special.Gurriel was the designated hitter against Baltimore, and he came to the plate in the second inning after waiting a bit -- the start of the game at Camden Yards was delayed more than four hours because of rain.Gurriel finished 1 for 2 with a walk and a groundout. He left the game in the eighth with right hamstring tightness and is day to day.This is the one test in his whole life he has never answered, Hinch said. Hes played at every level in the world and been on the center stage and one of the best international players for a long time. This will be different for him, hell feel like a rookie again.Gurriel, who signed a $47.5 million, five-year deal with the Astros on July 16, is primarily a third baseman. This weekend, the AL wild-card contenders sent third baseman Luis Valbuena back to Houston to re-evaluate his injured right hamstring, and he could be out for the season.But Gurriel can play other positions and could possibly get some time in left field, Hinch said. Gurriel said he is open to hellping the club any way he can.ddddddddddddIm not going to be nervous. Excited is probably a better word, Gurriel said through a translator. This has been a dream of mine for years. For a Cuban player to make it is a big deal, so Im excited.Gurriel batted .250 with two home runs and 14 RBI in 15 games (56 at-bats) with four Astros minor league affiliates. That was enough for Houston to give him an opportunity at the major league level, especially with Valbuena ailing.He got up to 50 at-bats with us in the minor leagues, Hinch said. Thats a normal spring training for him. Weve bounced him around the country. But from a baseball standpoint, hes ready and hes ready for this challenge. To add him to this group is exciting for us, certainly fun for us, our guys will be excited about it. His baseball readiness, hes in shape and ready to go.Gurriel said the biggest adjustment might be dealing with all of the excessive travel of a major leaguer. That was never an issue in his native Cuba. He got his first taste of that grind flying from California to Maryland to meet his new teammates.Those trips are always a little tiring, Gurriel said. Obviously, in Cuba I didnt travel as much as they do here. But Im ready to play and help my team today.To make room on the roster, infielder Tyler White was optioned to Triple-A after Saturdays game. ' ' '