Charles Buggs has barely played this season.

Clearly, head coach Richard Pitino was stashing his secret weapon away for the right moment.

And trailing after a sluggish start to Iowa on Tuesday night, the Gophers head honcho unleashed his freshman "superstar."

And Buggs did what any secret weapon would do — took over.

Buggs scored 11 points on 3 for 3 shooting from beyond the arc, as Minnesota nabbed a 51-47 lead over No. 20 Iowa at the break.

Oh, senior guard Austin Hollins was good, too. He poured in 18 points on 6 for 6 shooting.

The Gophers shot 69.2 percent from the field. Their first half mark of 51 is greater than their final totals from each of the last two games.

Iowa was kept in the game by senior guard and Big Ten Player of the Year candidate Roy Devyn Marble, who finished the half with a game-high 19 points.