University of Minnesota Athletics
Game Preview: Gophers vs. Penn State
1/2/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 2, 2016 
Minnesota's Big Ten home opener against Penn State is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 3. The Gophers (8-4, 0-1 Big Ten) will recognize program alumnae at halftime. Here are five things to know as the Nittany Lions (6-6, 1-0 Big Ten) come to town:
1 A win on Sunday would give the Golden Gophers their second straight Big Ten home-opening victory. In Marlene Stollings' first Big Ten game as a head coach, against No. 12/14 Nebraska last year, Minnesota won its conference opener at Williams Arena. The Gophers are looking to extend their two-game winning streak over Penn State after defeating the Nittany Lions in both matchups last year.
2 In the game at Rutgers, Rachel Banham broke Carol Ann Shudlick's Minnesota career record for made field goals. Banham enters Sunday's game with 859 made baskets (sixth in Big Ten history). The redshirt senior is already guaranteed to leave Minnesota with at least six career records (scoring, games scoring in double figures, 3-pointers, attempted 3-pointers, field goals, attempted field goals). She will likely also set the records for free throw percentage and games started.
3 Allina Starr and Kynadi Johnson both made their Minnesota debuts last week. Johnson, a junior forward who had been recovering from injury, came off the bench against NJIT and tallied four points and three rebounds. Starr, a sophomore guard who sat out the fall semester due to transfer rules, started at Rutgers and pulled down eight rebounds to go with two steals and her first two points as a Gopher.
4 Rebounding has been a total team effort this season as seven different Gophers have led the team or tied for the team lead in caroms. Guards Carlie Wagner and Shayne Mullaney have each done so in three games. Mullaney and Rachel Banham each have two double-digit rebounding performances. Minnesota is 6-1 when outrebounding its opponents, with the only loss coming at Rutgers on Thursday.
5 Minnesota has used five different groups of starters so far this season, with positions occasionally shifting even among same groups. Rachel Banham and Carlie Wagner have started all 12 games, while Mikayla Bailey has started 11 and Shayne Mullaney 10. Four different Gophers have started at the 5 position: Jessie Edwards, Joanna Hedstrom, Karley Barnes and, most recently, Annalese Lamke. Nine of 12 active players have been in the starting lineup at least once this year.
Scouting the Nittany Lions
• Penn State (6-6, 1-0 Big Ten) opened conference play with a 79-72 upset win against No. 14 Northwestern. Teniya Page (27 points) and Brianna Banks (25) led the charge for the Nittany Lions.
• Page and Banks average 14.8 and 13.5 points, respectively, to lead Penn State. The Nittany Lions have a balanced scoring attack with Lindsey Spann, Kaliyah Mitchell and Peyton Whitted also averaging double figures. Whitted pulls down 9.3 rebounds per game.
• Candice Agee is Penn State's biggest shot-blocking threat with 20 swats this year.
• Penn State ninth-year head coach Coquese Washington is 7-9 all-time against Minnesota.
• The Gophers won both meetings with the Nittany Lions last season. The first was an 83-53 win at Williams Arena (Jan. 28) in which Amanda Zahui B. posted a triple-double and Minnesota tied a program record with 15 blocks. The Gophers won 85-77 on the road (Feb. 15), shooting 12-of-22 from 3-point range.
Up Next
The Gophers will travel to Illinois for a Jan. 7 game. The 8 p.m. contest will be televised on BTN. Minnesota's next home game will be against Michigan on Jan. 10.
| Minnesota vs. Penn State | |
| Date / Time | Sunday, Jan. 3 | 2 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 | Penn State |
| Game Notes | Minnesota | Penn State |
| Social Media | @GopherWBB | Facebook |
1 A win on Sunday would give the Golden Gophers their second straight Big Ten home-opening victory. In Marlene Stollings' first Big Ten game as a head coach, against No. 12/14 Nebraska last year, Minnesota won its conference opener at Williams Arena. The Gophers are looking to extend their two-game winning streak over Penn State after defeating the Nittany Lions in both matchups last year.
2 In the game at Rutgers, Rachel Banham broke Carol Ann Shudlick's Minnesota career record for made field goals. Banham enters Sunday's game with 859 made baskets (sixth in Big Ten history). The redshirt senior is already guaranteed to leave Minnesota with at least six career records (scoring, games scoring in double figures, 3-pointers, attempted 3-pointers, field goals, attempted field goals). She will likely also set the records for free throw percentage and games started.
3 Allina Starr and Kynadi Johnson both made their Minnesota debuts last week. Johnson, a junior forward who had been recovering from injury, came off the bench against NJIT and tallied four points and three rebounds. Starr, a sophomore guard who sat out the fall semester due to transfer rules, started at Rutgers and pulled down eight rebounds to go with two steals and her first two points as a Gopher.
4 Rebounding has been a total team effort this season as seven different Gophers have led the team or tied for the team lead in caroms. Guards Carlie Wagner and Shayne Mullaney have each done so in three games. Mullaney and Rachel Banham each have two double-digit rebounding performances. Minnesota is 6-1 when outrebounding its opponents, with the only loss coming at Rutgers on Thursday.
5 Minnesota has used five different groups of starters so far this season, with positions occasionally shifting even among same groups. Rachel Banham and Carlie Wagner have started all 12 games, while Mikayla Bailey has started 11 and Shayne Mullaney 10. Four different Gophers have started at the 5 position: Jessie Edwards, Joanna Hedstrom, Karley Barnes and, most recently, Annalese Lamke. Nine of 12 active players have been in the starting lineup at least once this year.
Scouting the Nittany Lions
• Penn State (6-6, 1-0 Big Ten) opened conference play with a 79-72 upset win against No. 14 Northwestern. Teniya Page (27 points) and Brianna Banks (25) led the charge for the Nittany Lions.
• Page and Banks average 14.8 and 13.5 points, respectively, to lead Penn State. The Nittany Lions have a balanced scoring attack with Lindsey Spann, Kaliyah Mitchell and Peyton Whitted also averaging double figures. Whitted pulls down 9.3 rebounds per game.
• Candice Agee is Penn State's biggest shot-blocking threat with 20 swats this year.
• Penn State ninth-year head coach Coquese Washington is 7-9 all-time against Minnesota.
• The Gophers won both meetings with the Nittany Lions last season. The first was an 83-53 win at Williams Arena (Jan. 28) in which Amanda Zahui B. posted a triple-double and Minnesota tied a program record with 15 blocks. The Gophers won 85-77 on the road (Feb. 15), shooting 12-of-22 from 3-point range.
Up Next
The Gophers will travel to Illinois for a Jan. 7 game. The 8 p.m. contest will be televised on BTN. Minnesota's next home game will be against Michigan on Jan. 10.
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