The University of Minnesota men's and women's and SCSU men's basketball teams earned big early-season wins, the Minnesota Timberwolves demolished the Lakers on the road, and the St. Cloud Norsemen, Granite City Lumberjacks, and SCSU men's hockey team all posted big wins on Friday.

Meanwhile, the Gopher men's hockey team came up short against Ohio State, and the Minnesota Wild and the Gopher, Bison, and Johnnies football teams prep for their Saturday matchups.

RECAPS:

- The Gopher men's hockey team blew an early lead and fell to Ohio State 4-3. Ben Meyers led the way for Minnesota, netting two of the team's three goals. The Gophers fall to 6-5 and the Buckeyes improve to 7-2. The teams will take the ice in Minneapolis for game two on Saturday at 5:00 p.m.

- The Gopher men's basketball team defeated Western Kentucky 73-69 to kick off the first-ever Ashville Championship. Jamison Battle led the team with 20 points, while Payton Willis added 19. The Gophers improve to 2-0 and will remain in North Carolina on Sunday to face Princeton. Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m.

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- The Gopher women's basketball team fought to the finish to earn an overtime win 66-59 against Arizona State. Jasmine Powell led Minnesota with 21 points and nine rebounds. The Gophers improve to 1-1 and will return home on Sunday to host George Washington University at 2:00 p.m.

- The no. 1 ranked SCSU men's hockey team took game one of the weekend series 5-1 over no.11 Omaha. Veeti Miettinen and Easton Brodzinski each netted two for St. Cloud. The Huskies improve to 9-2 and the Mavericks fall to 8-3. The teams will meet at Herb Brooks National Hockey Center for game two at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday.

- The SCSU men's basketball team opened the regular season with an 84-71 win over Ouachita Baptist University. Anthony Roberts led St. Cloud with 22 points and five rebounds. Ryan Bagley added 15 points and seven rebounds. The Huskies improve to 1-0 and will host Harding University on Saturday at 5:00 p.m.

- The Timberwolves snapped their six-game losing streak with a blowout 107-83 win over the Lakers. Karl-Anthony Towns led all scorers with 29 points and seven rebounds for Minnesota. The Wolves improve to 4-7 and will face the Clippers in Los Angeles on Saturday. Pre-game coverage tips off at 9:00 p.m. on AM 1240 and 95.3 FM WJON.

- The Lumberjacks earned their 11th straight win, by beating Willmar 6-2 on the road Friday. Ben Anderson led the way for Granite City with two goals. Matthew Smith made 30 saves and allowed two goals. The Lumberjacks improve to 15-1 and the WarHawks fall to 7-7-1. The teams will meet at 7:30 p.m. Saturday to complete the weekend series.

- The Norsemen continued their strong play with a shut-out win over Minot. Chase Freiermuth led St. Cloud with two goals on the night. The Norsemen improve to 9-5 and the Minotauros fall to 8-10-1. The teams will take the ice once again in Minot on Saturday at 7:35 p.m.

PREVIEWS:

- The Golden Gopher football team (6-3) will face Iowa (7-2) on Saturday. Minnesota owns the overall record 62-50-2 but has lost the last six matchups. Pre-game coverage begins at 12:30 p.m. on AM 1240 and 95.3 FM WJON.

- The Bison (8-1) will look to get back on track when they travel to Ohio to face the 2-6 Youngstown State Penguins. NDSU is 11-4 all-time against the Penguins and has won the last nine straight matchups. Pre-game coverage starts at 10:00 a.m. on AM 1390 and 93.9 FM Granite City Sports.

- The 9-0 Johnnies will put it all on the line when they face Bethel (8-1) on Saturday. The game marks the end of the regular season as well as the MIAC Championship with the winner punching their ticket to the NCAA Division III tournament. Kick-off is set for 1:00 p.m. in Arden Hills.

- The Wild (9-3) will hit the road to face the Seattle Krakken (4-9-1) Saturday night. Minnesota will be looking to bounce back from a close 3-2 loss to the Golden Knights on Thursday. Pre-game coverage starts at 8:45 p.m. on AM 1390 and 93.9 FM Granite City Sports.

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