University of Minnesota Athletics
Game Preview: at VCU
11/14/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
| Minnesota at VCU | |
| Date / Time | Tuesday, Nov. 15 | 5 p.m. CT |
| Location | E.J. Wade Arena at Stuart C. Siegel Center (Richmond, Va.) |
| Radio | KBEM 88.5 FM | Listen Online |
| Live Video | VCU Video ($) |
| Live Stats | Click here |
| Live Update | Game Day Live |
| Game Notes | Minnesota | VCU |
| Official Sites | Minnesota | VCU |
| Social Media | @GopherWBB | Facebook |
The University of Minnesota (1-0) women's basketball team will face VCU (1-0) in Richmond, Va., on Nov. 15. The game is scheduled to tip off at 5 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on KBEM 88.5 FM. Here are five things to know before the Golden Gophers' second game of the season:
1 Minnesota won its season opener against Harvard 103-87, the Gophers' seventh 100-point game during Marlene Stollings' tenure. The Maroon and Gold offense, which ranked fourth in the nation with a program-record 83.6 points per game last year, picked up where it left off after notching a program-record five triple-digit games in 2015-16.
2 Stollings will face the Rams for the first time since departing Richmond to coach at Minnesota. She coached at VCU from 2012-14, leading one of the top turnarounds in the nation. The 2013-14 Rams went 22-10, their third-most wins in program history, and set school records of 75.8 points per game and 235 3-pointers made. Gophers associate head coach Nikita Lowry Dawkins coached with Stollings in both seasons at VCU, and first-year Minnesota assistant coach Tamisha Augustin was on staff in 2013-14.
3 Junior Carlie Wagner led the Gophers with 27 points in their opener. She extended her streak of double-digit scoring games to 35, and notched her 19th career 20-point game. During the game, Wagner moved from 22nd to 18th on Minnesota's career scoring list (1,031 points). She passed Elsie Ohm, Jamie Broback, Kadidja Anderson and Cara Pearson during Saturday's game. Wagner will be honored as a member of the 1,000-point club at Sunday's game against Seton Hall.
4 All four players making their Minnesota debut against Harvard scored in double figures. Starters Jasmine Brunson and Whitney Tinjum scored 15 points apiece. Gadiva Hubbard tallied 16 points (most by a Gophers freshman in her debut in 13 years, when Kelly Roysland had 16 in her first game), eight assists and five steals. Freshman Taiye Bello had a double-double (10 points, 12 rebounds) in just 20 minutes.
5 Minnesota officially announced the signing of the No. 19-rated guard in the nation, Destiny Pitts. The native of Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich., has received a four-star rating from ESPN. Pitts is a 5-10 guard who earned all-state honors at Detroit Country Day High School last season under legendary coach Frank Orlando. She played AAU basketball for All-Ohio Black and coach J.B. Bethea on the Nike EYBL circuit. Pitts won a state championship with Country Day in 2015, and led her team in scoring with 16 points per game last year.
SCOUTING THE RAMS
• VCU opened its season with a 73-44 win against Coppin State. Isis Thorpe (11 points) and Ashley Pegram (10) led the team in scoring.
• Head coach Beth O'Boyle is in her third season with the Rams, and led them to a WNIT bid last season. Prior to her arrival in Richmond, she spent three seasons at Stony Brook.
• The Rams have four players who played under Marlene Stollings for a season: Thorpe, Pegram, Keira Robinson and Camille Calhoun.
• Calhoun is VCU's returning scoring leader, as she averaged 11.3 points per game last season. Thorpe, Pegram and Robinson were the next three.
• Both teams have a state champion who attended Princess Anne High School in Virginia: fifth-year senior GG Goodhope for VCU (2012 grad) and freshman Gadiva Hubbard (2016 grad) for Minnesota.
COMING UP NEXT
• The Gophers will host Georgetown on Friday, Nov. 18 at 4 p.m. It will be Allina Starr's (Minneapolis) community night, with Starr and select teammates signing autographs postgame.
• On Sunday, Nov. 20 at 2 p.m. Minnesota will host 2016 NCAA Tournament team Seton Hall. Carlie Wagner will be recognized as a member of the 1,000-point club. It will also be Whitney Tinjum's (Stacy) community day. Both Tinjum and Wagner will be part of the postgame autograph session.
