MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Ralph Sampson III’s offensive game is still under construction, a 6-foot-11 junior with a soft shooting touch who hasn’t shown the aggression or consistency needed to become a problem for Minnesota’s opponents in the paint.

No matter how much he’s scoring, though, Sampson can always put those long arms to good use for the Gophers on the other end.

Trevor Mbakwe had 16 points and 12 rebounds and Sampson matched his career high with seven blocked shots to help Minnesota beat Iowa 69-59 on Sunday night.

“They always say defense wins championships,” Sampson said.

Al Nolen had 13 points and eight rebounds, including two critical 3-pointers in the second half and a 7-for-8 performance at the free-throw line for the Gophers (14-4, 3-3 Big Ten), who survived some lapses and avoided a costly defeat at home against one of the conference’s few struggling teams.

It was Sampson, though, who stood out with his dominance on defense. He also had 11 points, six rebounds and four assists, and Minnesota is now 22-0 in Sampson’s career when the lanky son of the former NBA standout blocks three or more shots.

“He’s starting to take some real pride in what he does,” Gophers coach Tubby Smith said, adding: “That’s what’s going to help him become a better player. That’s why he’s going to be playing at the next level for a long time.”

Melsahn Basabe led the Hawkeyes (7-10, 0-5) with 20 points and 13 rebounds, and Eric May added 16 points. Matt Gatens finished with 13 points, including a 3-pointer at the 2-minute mark that brought Iowa within 62-55, but the junior guard was 5 for 21 from the field — 3 for 10 from behind the arc. The Hawkeyes took little solace in their competitive effort.

“We stuck with it,” May said. “We’ve just got to close these games out.”

With sharp-shooting senior Blake Hoffarber on an off night — he was 2 for 10 from the floor and 0 for 4 from 3-point range for nine points — Nolen came up with the big baskets. Rodney Williams had three dunks in the first half and grabbed six rebounds.

Whether it’s combinations of players that don’t quite mesh, not enough guys who can create their own shots when the defense is tight or strategy that needs an update, the Gophers have struggled to control the game when they have the ball.

They have, however, enough athleticism with Williams, muscle with Mbakwe and overall defensive ability to make up for it against a developing team like Iowa.

Minnesota went 27 for 37 from the free-throw line, including 10 for 14 in the first half while Iowa was just 1 for 2. Hawkeyes coach Fran McCaffery didn’t feel like enough whistles were going his team’s way. He got the rare technical foul in the middle of a Minnesota free throw, giving Hoffarber a pair of shots in between Nolen’s two free throws.

The Hawkeyes, outscored 13-0 over a 5-minute stretch late in the first half, scored nine straight points out of the break, the last when Basabe’s spin-move layup drew a foul and a “Yeah!” cheer from McCaffery to set up a three-point play and cut Minnesota’s lead to 30-28. The Hawkeyes went up 40-37, their biggest lead, on another three-point play by Basabe.

Nolen, just as he did in Thursday’s win over No. 8 Purdue, then knocked down a crucial 3-pointer from the wing to tie it, and freshman Austin Hollins had the next five points to spark an 18-4 run the Gophers used to pull ahead.

The Hawkeyes sliced a 14-point deficit to six in a 2-minute span to get within 63-57 on a pair of free throws by Bryce Cartwright. In the end, though, the Hawkeyes were worn out by Minnesota’s big men, particularly with Jarryd Cole’s foul trouble limiting his playing time.

“We lost to a real good team,” McCaffery said. “We also got better.”

The Hawkeyes, who played No. 2 Ohio State tough in a 73-68 loss at home last week, go on the road Wednesday to play the Buckeyes, who are in position to move up to the top spot after No. 1 Duke’s loss last week.

Gatens has blossomed playing McCaffery’s fast-paced style, and the athletic May is a valuable contributor. The 6-foot-7 freshman Basabe wasn’t afraid to take it at the Minnesota defense, and while he’s been inconsistent this season this was his third double-double in the last eight games.

“We fought with them,” Basabe said. “There were just a few things that went their way that didn’t go our way.”

McCaffery was particularly pleased with May’s performance. He’s been bothered by a groin injury and had only three points over the previous two games after sitting out against Ohio State.

Iowa’s NCAA tournament absence will almost certainly reach five straight seasons, but McCaffery has instilled some confidence and an identity in a program that bottomed out last year with a 10-22 finish.

“I know we’ll have all kinds of trouble with them the next time,” Smith said.

The Gophers ended up enjoying a productive week after starting with Mbakwe’s arrest for violating a harassment restraining order. The junior forward shrugged off any extra motivation he might have, but smiled as he spoke of Minnesota getting back to 3-3 in the conference.

“It feels good. We’re just hoping some other teams have some losses, and we’ll able to jump back in,” Mbakwe said.