University of Minnesota Athletics
Game Preview: Gophers vs. Wisconsin
1/17/2018 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
| Minnesota (14-5, 3-3 B1G) vs. Wisconsin (7-12, 0-6 B1G) | |
| Date / Time | Thursday, Jan. 18 // 7 p.m. |
| Location | Williams Arena - Directions |
| Tickets | Click Here |
| Travel | Local Weather| Parking| Preferred Hotels |
| Radio | 93.3 ALT FM // Listen Online // iHeart Radio App |
| Live Stats | |
| Live Updates | Game Day Live |
| Game Notes | Minnesota // Wisconsin |
| Official Sites | Minnesota // Wisconsin |
| Social Media | @GopherWBB | Facebook | Instagram |
After a two-game road trip, the University of Minnesota women's basketball team (14-5, 3-3) returns home Thursday night to host Wisconsin (7-12, 0-6) at 7 p.m. in the latest installment of the Border Battle series.
Here are five things you need to know before tipoff:
1. The Golden Gophers have won nine straight in the series (by an average score of 75-61), which is their longest active win streak against a conference opponent and their longest win streak in the all-time series with the Badgers, which dates to 1974. Minnesota has not lost to UW since a 78-72 setback at home on Jan. 26, 2012. Minnesota's 38 wins against Wisconsin are its most against any school.
2. The Gophers are 47-11 at Williams Arena under Marlene Stollings, including an 8-1 mark this year. The 47-11 record includes four wins over ranked teams, most notably an overtime victory against No. 5 Ohio State in 2016. The Gophers went 11-5 at home last season, with the five losses coming to NCAA Tournament teams, including one Elite Eight squad and two Sweet 16 teams.
3. Minnesota ranks third in the nation with 829 rebounds on the season. The only teams with more are Morehead State (867) and North Carolina State (833). Four different Gophers average at least 5.0 rebounds per game: freshman Destiny Pitts (7.8), sophomore Taiye Bello (5.7), senior Jessie Edwards (5.5) and junior Kenisha Bell (5.1).
4. The Golden Gophers are also seventh in the nation in both free throws made (283) and 3-point field goals made (179), joining New Mexico as the only teams to rank in the top 10 of both categories. Minnesota's scoring average of 85.4 points per game ranks third in the Big Ten Conference and ninth nationally.
5. Destiny Pitts has recorded double-figure points 12 times this season and has four double-doubles. She recorded 22 points and 11 rebounds in the first Big Ten game of her career at Northwestern, while at Ohio State Pitts' hot hand went a perfect 5-for-5 from behind the arc in the fourth quarter to finish with a career-high 28 points. Pitts has named Big Ten Freshman of the Week a league-best five time this season. She's one of just eight players in conference history to reach that number and is tied for second in school history with Rachel Banham who also had five in 2011-12. The Minnesota record belongs to Amanda Zahui B., who had seven such honors in 2013-14.
PROMOTIONS
• Fans will be treated to a special "Lights Out" performance pregame.
• The first 1,000 students receive a special throwback Gophers Jersey.
Hey #UMN students, we need you at tomorrow night's Border Battle with Wisconsin!
Come join us and get this free jersey. pic.twitter.com/l3zArsGc6S-- Minnesota WBB (@GopherWBB) January 17, 2018
SCOUTING THE BADGERS
• Wisconsin enters the game with a 7-12 record on the season and is 0-6 in Big Ten play. After opening the season 5-3, the Badgers have lost nine of their past 11 games, including seven straight.
• Head coach Jonathan Tsipis is in his second season at Wisconsin.
• Wisconsin only has two players currently averaging double figures in Cayla McMorris (13.7) and Marsha Howard (10.7).
• Of the 32 team stat categories tracked by the NCAA, Wisconsin ranks in the bottom half in the B1G in all of them.
LAST MEETING WITH WISCONSIN
• Minnesota posted an 88-60 win over Wisconsin on Jan. 7 last season in Minneapolis. The 28-point margin was Minnesota's biggest win over Wisconsin in five years. The Gophers never trailed after answering the Badgers' first basket with a 3-pointer, their first of nine triples in the game.
• Carlie Wagner tallied 24 points, six rebounds and five assists, shooting 4-of-9 from 3-point range. Kenisha Bell added 17 points and seven assists. Whitney Tinjum and Joanna Hedstrom were also in double figures with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
BORDER BATTLE ROSTERS
• There are 26 players listed on the rosters between the two teams for Thursday's game, and 11 of them call either Minnesota or Wisconsin home.
• The Golden Gophers have four of the 11, including three from Minnesota and one from Wisconsin in junior Annalese Lamke (Galesville).
• The Badgers' roster features three Minnesotans: senior Cayla McMorris (Brooklyn Park; Park Center HS) and sophomores Courtney Frederickson (Minnetonka; Minnetonka HS) and Suzanne Gilreath (Brooklyn Park; Fridley HS), in addition to four more from the state of Wisconsin.
