University of Minnesota Athletics
Game Preview: Belmont
12/12/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
| Minnesota vs. Belmont | |
| Date / Time | Wednesday, Dec. 14 | 12 p.m. |
| Location | Williams Arena - Directions |
| Tickets | Click Here |
| Travel | Local Weather | Parking | Preferred Hotels |
| Radio | KBEM 88.5 FM | Listen Online |
| Live Video | BTN Plus |
| Live Stats | |
| Live Update | Game Day Live |
| Game Notes | Minnesota | Belmont |
| Official Sites | Minnesota | Belmont |
| Social Media | @GopherWBB | Facebook |
The Golden Gophers (7-4) will host Belmont (6-4) on Wednesday, Dec. 14. Minnesota will square off with the 2016 Ohio Valley Conference champion Bruins at noon at Williams Arena.
Here are some of the Gophers' top notes heading into their penultimate non-conference game:
1 Minnesota was ranked 18th in the Dec. 12 RPI, the only Big Ten team in the top 20. Playing their strongest non-conference schedule in years, the Gophers have two wins against 2016 NCAA Tournament teams (Seton Hall and Army), three against 2016 WNIT qualifiers and two on the road. They have played two top-10, Sweet 16 teams (Florida State and South Carolina). Their RPI is approximately 90 spots better than it was at a similar point in the season last year.
2 The Gophers are 30-6 at Williams Arena under Marlene Stollings. This includes wins over four ranked teams, most notably last year's overtime victory against No. 5 Ohio State. Minnesota is 5-1 at home this season, with four of those wins coming against teams who played in the 2016 postseason.
3 The Gophers set program season records for 3-pointers in Stollings' first two seasons (214 in 2014-15 and 292 in 2015-16). They are averaging 7.6 3-pointers per game (second in the Big Ten) this season. Minnesota has made 10-plus 3-pointers three times this year, most recently at South Carolina. Carlie Wagner is fourth in the conference with 2.8 triples per game and ranks fifth on the Gophers' career 3-point field goal list with 155.
4 Minnesota is the only team with three of the Big Ten's top 16 scorers (through Dec. 11). Naismith Trophy Watch List honoree Carlie Wagner (19.4 ppg) ranks seventh and Kenisha Bell (16.7) 10th. Gadiva Hubbard leads conference freshmen with 14.6 points per game. Additionally, Bell ranks second in assists (5.8) and third in steals (2.2).
5 Jessie Edwards has pulled down at least nine rebounds in each of the last five games (including 10 at South Carolina) and is seventh in the Big Ten with an average of 8.2 boards per contest. The Minnesota junior is second in the Big Ten at 2.5 blocks per game. With 68 career blocks, she is five blocks away from entering Minnesota's all-time top 10. Edwards blocked a career-high eight shots against Army West Point, the most by one Gopher in a game since Amanda Zahui B. tallied 11 against Ohio State on March 6, 2015.
SCOUTING THE BRUINS
• Belmont is 6-4 and on a four-game winning streak. The Bruins' last game was a 73-54 victory at Samford on Dec. 5.
• Head coach Cameron Newbauer is in his fourth season at Belmont. He guided the Bruins to a 24-9 record, Ohio Valley title and NCAA Tournament appearance last season. They received Top 25 votes for the first time in program history.
• The Bruins returned all five starters and 98 percent of their scoring from last year's NCAA Tournament team.
• Forward Kylee Smith, a 2016 All-OVC selection, leads Belmont with a 14.3-point average. Guard Darby Maggard is close behind her at 13.5 ppg.
• The Bruins are one of the nation's leading 3-point-shooting teams with 9.5 per game, led by a season total of 34 for Maggard.
