University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
Kent State
Gophers Look Inside in Win at Kent State
11/24/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 24, 2015
The Golden Gophers scored 22 points in the paint in the fourth quarter to power to an 85-73 win at Kent State. Five Gophers scored in double figures as Minnesota moved to 3-0 on the season.
Rachel Banham scored 24 points, including 17 in the fourth quarter. She is now 31 points shy of setting a new Minnesota career scoring record, at 2,255 total after Tuesday night's game. Banham was 9-for-10 from the free throw line.
Carlie Wagner poured in 18 points, while Joanna Hedstrom notched a career-high 11 points off the bench. Shayne Mullaney had a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds, and Jessie Edwards also had 10 points.
Minnesota took a 29-16 lead on the strength of 6-of-8 3-point shooting in the first quarter. Mikayla Bailey and Carlie Wagner each made a pair of triples in the opening frame.
The Golden Flashes gained ground in the second quarter to narrow the Gophers' halftime lead to 42-41. Wagner's 11 points and 3-for-3 long-range shooting led Minnesota at the break. The Gophers shot 51.5 percent from the field in the first half.
After taking a 47-42 lead early in the third, Kent State held the lead for the rest of the quarter. A Mullaney basket tied it at 56 early in the fourth and the teams continued to go back and forth. Banham's 17 fourth-quarter points and Edwards' six helped the Gophers pull away late in the game.
Minnesota shot 50 percent (33-for-66) on the ballgame and held a 48-36 edge in rebounding. While the Gophers made only one more 3-pointer after the first quarter, they looked to the inside, especially late in the game, to come away with a win. Minnesota ended up with 46 points in the paint overall.
Jordan Korinek led four Kent State players in double figures with 22 points.
More Notes
- Banham passed the career 500-rebound mark, joining the program's other 2,000-point scorers (Whalen, Carol Ann Shudlick, Laura Coenen) at that milestone.
- Mullaney's double-double was her second overall, and the first of the points/rebounds variety. A different Gopher has recorded a double-double in each game this season. Bailey and Edwards have one apiece.
- Bailey made her 100th career 3-pointer and passed the career 400-point mark in the win.
Next, the Gophers will travel to Puerto Rico for the San Juan Shootout. Their games against Stetson and Auburn on Nov. 27 and 28, respectively, will both be streamed on SportTours.net.
