University of Minnesota Athletics
Game Preview: Minnesota at Purdue
12/31/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
| Minnesota (12-1, 1-0 B1G) at Purdue (8-4, 1-0 B1G) | |
| Date / Time | Thursday, January 1, 2015 | 1 p.m. CT |
| Location | West Lafayette, Ind. (Mackey Arena) |
| Live Video | BTN Plus |
| Radio | 1500 ESPN Play-by-Play: Corbu Stathes | Analyst: Lynnette Sjoquist |
| Live Stats | |
| Game Notes | Minnesota | Purdue |
| Official Sites | Minnesota | Purdue |
| Social Media | @GophersWBB | Facebook |
Dec. 31, 2014
MINNEAPOLIS - The University of Minnesota (12-1, 1-0) women's basketball team hits the road for the first time in Big Ten action Thursday as it takes on Purdue (8-4, 1-0) in a New Years Day showdown at Mackey Arena at 1 p.m. CT. The Gophers enter the contest in West Lafayette having won a league-best eight-straight games and sit atop Big Ten standings with a 1-0 conference record and a .923 overall winning percentage.
Fans can watch a live stream of the action on BTN Plus, while they can listen to the radio team of Corbu Stathes and Lynnette Sjoquist live on 1500 ESPN. Live stats will be available on Gophersports.com and live updates will be available on the Gophers' official twitter page - @GophersWBB.
The Gophers are coming off a thrilling win over No. 12/14 Nebraska Monday night at Williams Arena, where they rallied back from 17 points down midway through the second half to pick up a 72-69 victory in their Big Ten opener. Amanda Zahui B. posted her league-best ninth double-double of the year with 20 points and 15 rebounds in the win to be named the Big Ten's Player of the Week . Along with her double-double, Zahui B. had four blocks and three steals, while she also connected on a pair of free throws in the final seconds of play to give Minnesota a three-point cushion and eventually seal the win.
In the Gophers' last three games, Zahui has averaged 21.3 points, 13.7 rebounds and 5.3 blocks per game, while notching a .600 (24-40) shooting percentage and an .889 (16-18) free throw percentage.
Thanks to the efforts of Zahui down low, Minnesota ranks sixth nationally as a team in blocks per game. The Gophers also rank sixth in the NCAA with their .923 winning percentage and their eight-game winning streak is the 11th-best in the NCAA this season.
Thursday's contest will be the 60th between Minnesota and Purdue, with the Boilermakers leading the all-time series, 42-17. The Maroon and Gold last posted a win in the series on Jan. 14, 2010, a 74-47 victory at Williams Arena, while the Gophers look to snap a tough skid at Mackey Arena, as they have lost six-straight in West Lafayette. Minnesota's last road win against Purdue was a 58-38 victory on Jan. 13, 2005.
In the teams' last meeting, Purdue defeated the Gophers, 63-42, at Williams Arena in their lone meeting of the year to snap their four-game league winning streak. Minnesota dressed only seven players for the contest, with Sari Noga leading the squad with 15 points.
Purdue enters the game with an 8-4 record on the season and a 1-0 record in Big Ten play following a 62-55 win at Illinois in its league opener on Sunday that extended its winning streak to five games. During their streak, the Boilermakers have defeated Kansas, UC Irvine, Denver, Wright State and the Fighting Illini. Of the five wins, four have come at Mackey Arena.
Purdue has two players averaging double-figure points on the season, led by Whitney Bays' 13.4 points per game. Bays, along with Minnesota's Zahui B., is one of just five players in the Big Ten averaging a double-double, as she also leads the Boilermakers with 10.6 rebounds per game.
As a team, the Boilermakers are averaging just 65.8 points per game, compared to 77.4 points per game for the Gophers.
