University of Minnesota Athletics
Game Preview: Gophers vs. North Dakota
12/21/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
| Minnesota vs. North Dakota | |
| Date / Time | Wednesday, Dec. 23 | 3 p.m. |
| Location | Williams Arena - Directions |
| Tickets | MyGopherSports.com |
| Travel | Local Weather | Parking | Preferred Hotels |
| Live Video | BTN Plus |
| Radio | KBEM 88.5 FM | Listen Online |
| Live Stats | |
| Official Sites | Minnesota | North Dakota |
| Game Notes | Minnesota | North Dakota |
| Social Media | @GopherWBB | Facebook |
The University of Minnesota women's basketball team (6-3) will face North Dakota (4-6) on Wednesday afternoon to cap off the fall semester. The Golden Gophers' penultimate non-conference game of the season will start at 3 p.m. Here are five things to know before tipoff.
1 Rachel Banham and Carlie Wagner remain the No. 2 scoring duo in the nation as of Dec. 20. Banham (23.9 points per game, fifth in the nation and second in the Big Ten behind Ohio State's Kelsey Mitchell) and Wagner (20.0) combine to score 43.9 points per contest. Their combined average trails only that of Washington's Kelsey Plum (NCAA-best 27.9 ppg) and Talia Walton, who combine for 46.6 points per game. Banham is the only player in the country to have at least 20 points in each of her team's game so far this season.
2 All three Minnesota seniors currently hold career-high scoring and rebounding averages. Rachel Banham's 23.9-point average beats that of her abbreviated 2014-15 season (18.6) and her junior year (22.1), and her rebounding average (6.4) is ahead of her freshman average of 5.2. Mikayla Bailey has maintained or increased her production in both categories every year. Her 11.6 ppg improve upon her 6.9 from last year, and her 5.3 rebounds are ahead of her 3.9 from last year. Shayne Mullaney (8.6 ppg, 6.2 rpg) is ahead of her 7.6 and 3.3 from last year, and her previous highs (7.7 ppg, 3.5 rpg) from 2013-14.
3 The Gophers have three of the Big Ten's top five minutes leaders. Carlie Wagner leads the conference with an average of 36.8 minutes per game, while Mikayla Bailey is next at 37.9 and Shayne Mullaney (fifth) averages 35.9. These three are no strangers to extended playing time. All of them played at least four 40-plus-minute games last season. Mullaney (34.9) and Bailey (34.3) led the Gophers in 2014-15. Wagner averaged 33.2 minutes overall last year, including 37.2 per game in the last 23 games.
4 Head coach Marlene Stollings is one win away from her 30th at Minnesota. Stollings would be the fifth Gopher women's basketball coach to reach that mark. If "W" No. 30 comes against North Dakota, Stollings will have taken 43 games to reach that milestone, the second-fastest mark in program history. Last year, she led Minnesota to its best-ever 18-game start (16-2) and tied the best 15-game record (14-1) by a first-year Gophers head coach.
5 Minnesota commits fouls at the lowest rate in the Big Ten and fourth-lowest in the country (12.1 per game). The Gophers have attempted 34 more free throws than opponents, and made 26 more.
Scouting the Fighting Hawks
• North Dakota is 4-6 entering its final non-conference game of the year. UND strung together three straight victories before its 73-70 loss to South Dakota on Saturday.
• Makailah Dyer and Mia Loyd lead the Fighting Hawks with averages of 14.3 and 13.6 points per game, respectively. Loyd, the Big Sky's Preseason Player of the Year and a high school teammate of Allina Starr at DeLaSalle, nearly averages a double-double, pulling down 9.7 rebounds per contest.
• The Gophers won last year's matchup in Grand Forks 68-55, led by Shae Kelley (24 points/nine rebounds) and Amanda Zahui B. (15 points/16 rebounds). Carlie Wagner added 14 points, and Rachel Banham had six early before her knee injury. Dyer, Loyd and Leah Szabla (all returners) were in double figures for UND.
• Fighting Hawks assistant coach Jackie Voigt played for the Gophers 2008-12.
