Rodney Williams helps Minnesota end four-game skid with win over Nebraska, 84-65

Jan 26, 2013; Madison, WI, USA; Wisconsin Badgers forward Jared Berggren (40) grabs a rebound as Minnesota Gophers forward Rodney Williams (33) looks on at the Kohl Center. Wisconsin defeated Minnesota 45-44. Mandatory Credit: Mary Langenfeld-USA TODAY Sports

Rodney Williams had 23 points and finished a perfect 6-for-6 from the free-throw line to lead the Gophers to a 84-65 victory over the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

The win snapped a four-game losing streak for Minnesota but almost more importantly, Rodney Williams redeemed himself after missing the game-tying free-throw with seconds remaining in Saturday’s loss to Wisconsin.

Williams came out of the gate hot, scoring 12 points in the first few minutes, electing for easy buckets around the basket. He ended up shooting 8-for-13 and added five rebounds and two assists.

His performance took the load off sophomore Andre Hollins, who shot the ball only eight times — five of them from beyond the arch — finishing with 14 points.

While the end-result was a blowout, Nebraska’s Ray Gallegos went tic-for-tac with Williams for most of the game, scoring 20 points by half-time. He finished with 30 points on 12-for-17 shooting and 6-of-9 from the three-point line.

Minnesota brought out the full-court pressure from tip-off and caused headaches for the Cornhuskers, forcing them into non-ideal situations that resulted in three travel calls.

The Gophers also controlled the rebounding game, grabbing 15 offensive rebounds and 34 altogether, compared to four offensive and 17 total rebounds for Nebraska.

Trevor Mbakwe recorded eight of those rebounds while only scoring four points. He missed all three free-throw attempts in the game.

Both teams shot around 54 percent, but Minnesota took 15 more shots than the Cornhuskers.

Minnesota’s bench scored 23 points, an improvement since Big Ten play started. On the other hand, the Cornhuskers got six points from their bench.

The Gophers will play host to the Iowa Hawkeyes Sunday at noon.