University of Minnesota Athletics
Game Preview: Harvard
11/8/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
| Minnesota vs. Harvard | |
| Date / Time | Saturday, Nov. 12 | 2 p.m. |
| Location | Williams Arena - Directions |
| Tickets | Click Here |
| Travel | Local Weather | Parking | Preferred Hotels |
| Live Video | BTN Plus |
| Radio | 1500 ESPN | Listen Online |
| Live Stats | |
| Live Update | Game Day Live |
| Official Sites | Minnesota | Harvard |
| Social Media | @GopherWBB | Facebook |
The Golden Gopher women's basketball team will open its 2016-17 campaign this Saturday, Nov. 12 by hosting Harvard. The game will tip off at 2 p.m.
A radio broadcast of the game will air on 1500 ESPN, and live video will be available via BTN Plus.
Here are five things to know as Minnesota starts a new year:
1 Dating back to 1973-74 (the first season with game-by-game data available), the Gophers are 25-18 in season-opening games. They have won seven straight lid lifters, six of which have taken place at Williams Arena. Minnesota has won 14 of its last 15 openers, with the only loss in that span at No. 2 Stanford in 2008-09.
2 In 2015-16, Big Ten Player of the Year and First-Team All-American Rachel Banham had one of the best seasons in Big Ten history. Banham was a Wooden Award Top-Five Finalist after setting the Big Ten career (3,093 points) and conference-only season (30.5 ppg) scoring records. She tied the NCAA record with 60 points in a game, and also owns Minnesota's season (914 points/28.6 ppg) scoring records.
3 Junior Carlie Wagner, a 2016 All-Big Ten Second Team honoree, figures to be a major factor in filling the spaces left by Banham and her fellow seniors. Wagner averaged 18.9 points per game last year, combining with Banham to form the nation's top-scoring duo. She scored in double figures every game. Wagner also added 5.2 rebounds per game and ranked third on the team with 82 assists. She is one of six returners. The others are: seniors Karley Barnes, Joanna Hedstrom and Allina Starr, junior Jessie Edwards and sophomore Annalese Lamke.
4 Many of the Gophers' nine newcomers hope to have an immediate impact. Transfers Kenisha Bell and Bryanna Fernstrom arrived before or during last season and will debut this year. Fifth-year Whitney Tinjum, junior Sue Key and sophomore Palma Kaposi also bring experience past the high school level. Freshmen Kehinde and Taiye Bello, Jasmine Brunson and Gadiva Hubbard spent summer on campus.
5 In both of head coach Marlene Stollings' first two seasons at Minnesota, the Gophers broke program season records for scoring and 3-pointers. (The Gophers scored 83.6 points per game and made 292 3-pointers in 2015-16.) Each season saw a Gopher win Big Ten Player of the Year and go on to be selected in the top five of the WNBA Draft. Only Minnesota and UConn have had back-to-back top-five picks the past two years.
Scouting the Crimson
• Harvard went 14-14 last season and finished third in the Ivy League standings. The Crimson earned a berth in the WNIT. Harvard was picked third in this year's Ivy League preseason poll.
• The Gophers and Crimson last met on Dec. 10, 2011. Minnesota won 79-53.
• Head coach Kathy Delaney-Smith is the winningest coach in Ivy League history with a 546-375 record in 34 seasons.
• The Crimson lost last year's top three scorers, but return their next three. Madeline Raster (6.7 points per game), Destiny Nunley (6.6) and Sydney Skinner (5.3).
• Harvard has a Minnesota connection in freshman Mackenzie Barta (Maple Grove, Minn.), whose father Chuck is the head trainer for the Minnesota Lynx and whose brother Brandon is a former manager for the Gophers.
