University of Minnesota Athletics
Game Preview: Gophers vs. Towson
12/5/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 5, 2015 
The Golden Gophers (4-2) will start a string of home games with a mathcup against the Towson Tigers (2-5) Sunday night. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m., and the game will be streamed on BTN Plus. Here are five things to know before the game:
1 In their first six games, the Golden Gophers have had 11 individual 20-point performances. Three players scored 20-plus against Stetson, and two players have scored 20-plus in three additional games. Most recently, Carlie Wagner and Rachel Banham notched 23 and 21 points, respectively, at Duke. Banham has scored at least 20 points in every game, and Wagner has in half the games.
2 With 21 points at Duke, Rachel Banham tied Lindsay Whalen's career total of 108 games scoring in double figures. She has reached double figures in all but 10 of her total games. Banham (2,325 points) recently broke Whalen's career scoring record and passed Whalen for third place on the career field goals list. Banham's field goal total is 817.
3 Rachel Banham moved to sixth place on the Big Ten career scoring list. At Duke, she passed Northwestern's Anucha Browne (2.307 points) and Wisconsin's Jolene Anderson (2,312). Purdue's MaChelle Joseph (2.405) is in fifth 80 points ahead of Banham. Kelly Mazante of Penn State holds the conference record with 2,919 points, scored in the 2001-04 seasons. To break Mazante's record, Banham would need to score 741 total points this season, nine shy of her Minnesota season record set in 2013-14. She has 146 points through six games (24.3 points per game).
4 Carlie Wagner passed the career 500-point mark in the game at Duke. She has 514 entering the matchup with Towson. Averaging 13.2 points per game, it took the sophomore 39 total games to get to 500. She is averaging 19.3 points per game this season, 7.2 higher than her 2014-15 season average of 12.1.
5 Sunday's game against Towson will begin a string of five consecutive December home games for Minnesota as it concludes the non-conference season. The Gophers started their season with two home wins before going on the road for four games in a row. Minnesota was 13-2 at Williams Arena last season.
Scouting the Tigers
• Towson's two wins were over UMBC and Western Illinois. The Tigers are 0-4 on the road early in the season, most recently coming off a loss at Cornell.
• The team's leading scorer is Raven Bankston, who is averaging 16.4 points per game.
• Sianni Martin and Dominique Johnson are also averaging double-digit points with 15.3 and 13.4, respectively. Johnson recently surpassed the career 1,000-point mark, and Martin was named CAA Freshman of the Week for Nov. 30
• Daijha Thomas is averaging 9.9 rebounds per game, tied for 47th in the nation through Dec. 4.
• Towson assistant coach Christie Rogers was an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for Marlene Stollings at Winthrop in 2011-12.
| Minnesota vs. Towson | |
| Date / Time | Sunday, Dec. 6 | 7 p.m. |
| Location | Williams Arena - Directions |
| Tickets | MyGopherSports.com |
| Travel | Local Weather | Parking | Preferred Hotels |
| Live Video | BTN Plus |
| Radio | 1500 ESPN | Listen Online |
| Live Stats | |
| Official Sites | Minnesota | Towson |
| Social Media | @GopherWBB | Facebook |
1 In their first six games, the Golden Gophers have had 11 individual 20-point performances. Three players scored 20-plus against Stetson, and two players have scored 20-plus in three additional games. Most recently, Carlie Wagner and Rachel Banham notched 23 and 21 points, respectively, at Duke. Banham has scored at least 20 points in every game, and Wagner has in half the games.
2 With 21 points at Duke, Rachel Banham tied Lindsay Whalen's career total of 108 games scoring in double figures. She has reached double figures in all but 10 of her total games. Banham (2,325 points) recently broke Whalen's career scoring record and passed Whalen for third place on the career field goals list. Banham's field goal total is 817.
3 Rachel Banham moved to sixth place on the Big Ten career scoring list. At Duke, she passed Northwestern's Anucha Browne (2.307 points) and Wisconsin's Jolene Anderson (2,312). Purdue's MaChelle Joseph (2.405) is in fifth 80 points ahead of Banham. Kelly Mazante of Penn State holds the conference record with 2,919 points, scored in the 2001-04 seasons. To break Mazante's record, Banham would need to score 741 total points this season, nine shy of her Minnesota season record set in 2013-14. She has 146 points through six games (24.3 points per game).
4 Carlie Wagner passed the career 500-point mark in the game at Duke. She has 514 entering the matchup with Towson. Averaging 13.2 points per game, it took the sophomore 39 total games to get to 500. She is averaging 19.3 points per game this season, 7.2 higher than her 2014-15 season average of 12.1.
5 Sunday's game against Towson will begin a string of five consecutive December home games for Minnesota as it concludes the non-conference season. The Gophers started their season with two home wins before going on the road for four games in a row. Minnesota was 13-2 at Williams Arena last season.
Scouting the Tigers
• Towson's two wins were over UMBC and Western Illinois. The Tigers are 0-4 on the road early in the season, most recently coming off a loss at Cornell.
• The team's leading scorer is Raven Bankston, who is averaging 16.4 points per game.
• Sianni Martin and Dominique Johnson are also averaging double-digit points with 15.3 and 13.4, respectively. Johnson recently surpassed the career 1,000-point mark, and Martin was named CAA Freshman of the Week for Nov. 30
• Daijha Thomas is averaging 9.9 rebounds per game, tied for 47th in the nation through Dec. 4.
• Towson assistant coach Christie Rogers was an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for Marlene Stollings at Winthrop in 2011-12.
Players Mentioned
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