Nate Mason scored 14 of his 16 points in the first half to help Minnesota (22-7, 10-6) take control. Mason also had 10 rebounds and eight assists, and Jordan Murphy finished with 16 points and 16 rebounds for the Golden Gophers.
Lynch, the Big Ten’s leading shot blocker, dominated on the defensive end without committing a foul.
With Penn State trying to make a late push, Lynch rejected a Shep Garner layup attempt to protect an 11-point lead. After a Lynch dunk, Akeem Springs hit a 3-pointer to give the Golden Gophers their largest lead of the game at 77-61 with 4:10 remaining.
Minnesota shot 55.6 percent from the field in the second half to close out the win. Dupree McBrayer scored 13 of his 15 points in the second half for the Golden Gophers, who extended their winning streak to seven games.
Lamar Stevens and Payton Banks each had 11 points for Penn State, and Garner added 10.
The Nittany Lions shot 35.5 percent from the field for the game.
Notes: Carr now has 119 assists this season, setting the program’s freshman single-season record previously owned by Ben Luber (114 in 2004). ... The Nittany Lions finished 7 for 21 from 3-point range. ... Penn State finished with 10 assists and zero turnovers in the second half and finished with 16 assists and five turnovers in the game. ... Penn State hosts its final home game of the regular season against Ohio State at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday.