University of Minnesota Athletics
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Minnesota Takes to the Road to Face Boston College
12/8/2018 12:18:00 PM | Women's Basketball
MINNEAPOLIS --Â No. 14/18 (AP/Coaches) Minnesota (8-0) plays in its second and final non-conference road game Sunday when it travels to face Boston College (8-1) at 1 p.m. CT.
The game will be available to stream online on ACC Network Extra and can also be heard on the Gophers' radio home, 96.7 FM KFAN Plus.
THE OPENING TIP-OFF
​• One of 21 teams in the country still undefeated, the Golden Gophers are looking to start 9-0 for the third time in program history. The only better undefeated starts came in 2003-04 (15-0) and 2002-03 (12-0), head coach Lindsay Whalen's junior and senior seasons, respectively. Whalen is just one of two coaches in program history to win at least her first five games. The other to do it was her former coach, Pam Borton, whose first season was in 2002-03.
• The team's current eight-game win streak is tied for the sixth longest in program history and is the longest since an eight-game streak that included winning the final four games in the 2011-12 season and the first four contests of the 2012-13 campaign. Nationally, it's tied for the fifth longest active win streak behind Indiana (14), as well as Virginia Tech, Louisville and N.C. State, who have all won nine in a row.
• Minnesota enters Sunday's game ranked No. 14 in the AP Poll. Boasting a 16-4 record all-time as the No. 14 team, it's the team's highest ranking since being ranked 11th on Feb. 6, 2006. In addition, Minnesota was No. 18 in the Coaches Poll, its first appearance in the poll since coming in at No. 25 on Dec. 8, 2008.
• The Gophers beat Incarnate Word, 75-39, on Wednesday. It was the first time since Nov. 26, 2013, that they had held an opponent under 40 points. Minnesota leads the Big Ten and is third nationally by allowing just 49.0 points per game. The team has allowed just 392 points in eight games so far this year, which is the lowest point total allowed in the first eight games of the season for the Gophers since the 1975-76 season (387 points, 48.4 ppg) and the third lowest since records were first kept in 1973-74 (362 points, 45.3 ppg).
•  Junior forward Taiye Bello had a double-double in each of the first three games this season, and though she didn't have one in the fourth game against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, she did grab a career-high 19 rebounds. Two games later, she set a career-high with 20 points and grabbed 18 rebounds in a win over No. 12 Syracuse and followed that with 18 rebounds against Air Force. Through Thursday's games, Bello was second in the country in total rebounds (113) and third in total rebounds per game (14.1) and offensive rebounds per game (6).
SERIES WITH BOSTON COLLEGE
RECAPPING THE WIN OVER INCARNATE WORD
• Minnesota scored the first 12 points of the game and never looked back in a 75-39 rout of Incarnate Word. It was the team's sixth annual Field Trip Game in front of a crowd of 7,835 fans, including approximately 6,200 local elementary school students.
• Destiny Pitts was one of three Golden Gophers to reach double figures as she led all scorers with 15 points, one off her season high.
• Annalese Lamke was the catalyst early, scoring seven of her 13 points just over halfway through the first quarter. She finished a perfect 4-of-4 from the floor and 5-of-5 at the free throw line, adding seven rebounds, two assists and two blocked shots.
• Mercedes Staples was the third Gopher to reach double digits, notching 11 points. She also had a career-high four assists and a pair of steals.
• Offensively, the Gophers made a season-high eight 3-pointers and shot a season-best 42.1 percent (8-of-19) from beyond the arc. In addition, the team made all nine of its free throw attempts and had a season-high 22 assists on its 29 made field goals.
The game will be available to stream online on ACC Network Extra and can also be heard on the Gophers' radio home, 96.7 FM KFAN Plus.
THE OPENING TIP-OFF
​• One of 21 teams in the country still undefeated, the Golden Gophers are looking to start 9-0 for the third time in program history. The only better undefeated starts came in 2003-04 (15-0) and 2002-03 (12-0), head coach Lindsay Whalen's junior and senior seasons, respectively. Whalen is just one of two coaches in program history to win at least her first five games. The other to do it was her former coach, Pam Borton, whose first season was in 2002-03.
• The team's current eight-game win streak is tied for the sixth longest in program history and is the longest since an eight-game streak that included winning the final four games in the 2011-12 season and the first four contests of the 2012-13 campaign. Nationally, it's tied for the fifth longest active win streak behind Indiana (14), as well as Virginia Tech, Louisville and N.C. State, who have all won nine in a row.
• Minnesota enters Sunday's game ranked No. 14 in the AP Poll. Boasting a 16-4 record all-time as the No. 14 team, it's the team's highest ranking since being ranked 11th on Feb. 6, 2006. In addition, Minnesota was No. 18 in the Coaches Poll, its first appearance in the poll since coming in at No. 25 on Dec. 8, 2008.
• The Gophers beat Incarnate Word, 75-39, on Wednesday. It was the first time since Nov. 26, 2013, that they had held an opponent under 40 points. Minnesota leads the Big Ten and is third nationally by allowing just 49.0 points per game. The team has allowed just 392 points in eight games so far this year, which is the lowest point total allowed in the first eight games of the season for the Gophers since the 1975-76 season (387 points, 48.4 ppg) and the third lowest since records were first kept in 1973-74 (362 points, 45.3 ppg).
•  Junior forward Taiye Bello had a double-double in each of the first three games this season, and though she didn't have one in the fourth game against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, she did grab a career-high 19 rebounds. Two games later, she set a career-high with 20 points and grabbed 18 rebounds in a win over No. 12 Syracuse and followed that with 18 rebounds against Air Force. Through Thursday's games, Bello was second in the country in total rebounds (113) and third in total rebounds per game (14.1) and offensive rebounds per game (6).
SERIES WITH BOSTON COLLEGE
• Minnesota and Boston College will meet for the fourth time on Sunday, with the Golden Gophers winning the previous three meetings by an average score of 78-64.
• The teams met a year ago in Minneapolis with the Gophers prevailing 78-68. Kenisha Bell scored what was then a career-high 31 points while recording 10 rebounds, five assists and three steals. Destiny Pitts added 14 points and a career-high 16 rebounds. Minnesota never trailed in the game and led the Eagles by as much as 20 in the second half before Boston College chipped into the lead.
• The series between the schools began back at the 2004 Sweet 16 in Norfolk, Va., when Minnesota beat BC, 76-63, to earn its first ever trip to the Elite Eight. Current Gophers head coach Lindsay Whalen, then a senior, had a double-double with 15 points and 10 assists.
• Gophers assistant coach Danielle O'Banion graduated from Boston College in 2001. She helped the program to its first two NCAA Tournament Berths in 1999 and 2000 and was a co-captain as a senior.
• The teams met a year ago in Minneapolis with the Gophers prevailing 78-68. Kenisha Bell scored what was then a career-high 31 points while recording 10 rebounds, five assists and three steals. Destiny Pitts added 14 points and a career-high 16 rebounds. Minnesota never trailed in the game and led the Eagles by as much as 20 in the second half before Boston College chipped into the lead.
• The series between the schools began back at the 2004 Sweet 16 in Norfolk, Va., when Minnesota beat BC, 76-63, to earn its first ever trip to the Elite Eight. Current Gophers head coach Lindsay Whalen, then a senior, had a double-double with 15 points and 10 assists.
• Gophers assistant coach Danielle O'Banion graduated from Boston College in 2001. She helped the program to its first two NCAA Tournament Berths in 1999 and 2000 and was a co-captain as a senior.
RECAPPING THE WIN OVER INCARNATE WORD
• Minnesota scored the first 12 points of the game and never looked back in a 75-39 rout of Incarnate Word. It was the team's sixth annual Field Trip Game in front of a crowd of 7,835 fans, including approximately 6,200 local elementary school students.
• Destiny Pitts was one of three Golden Gophers to reach double figures as she led all scorers with 15 points, one off her season high.
• Annalese Lamke was the catalyst early, scoring seven of her 13 points just over halfway through the first quarter. She finished a perfect 4-of-4 from the floor and 5-of-5 at the free throw line, adding seven rebounds, two assists and two blocked shots.
• Mercedes Staples was the third Gopher to reach double digits, notching 11 points. She also had a career-high four assists and a pair of steals.
• Offensively, the Gophers made a season-high eight 3-pointers and shot a season-best 42.1 percent (8-of-19) from beyond the arc. In addition, the team made all nine of its free throw attempts and had a season-high 22 assists on its 29 made field goals.
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• The 392 points allowed by Minnesota through the first eight games of the season is the third lowest opponent point total in program history
• The Golden Gophers currently lead the Big Ten and rank third in the country in scoring defense by allowing just 49.0 points per game. For comparison, last season Minnesota finished the year ranked 335th by allowing 74.8 points per game.
• Additionally, the Gophers are sixth in the country in rebound margin (13.4), ninth in rebounds per game (47.5), 11th in defensive rebounds per game (31), 12th in opponent field goal percentage (32.3) and 27th in scoring margin (+21.5)..
• Some of the advanced metrics, via HerHoopStats.com, also illustrate how strong the Gopher defense has been this year. Minnesota leads the nation in both opponent points per scoring attempt (shots+FT trips) at 0.75 and opponent points per play (shots+/FT trips+turnover) at 0.60, and is third in opponent points per 100 possessions at 69.7.
• The Gophers held their first five opponents to 53 points or fewer, the longest stretch of such games since the 2004-05 season when they also did it in five straight.
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GOPHERS DEFENSE STRONG TO START SEASON
• Minnesota's scoring defense has been stellar so far this season and is a big reason the team is 8-0.• The 392 points allowed by Minnesota through the first eight games of the season is the third lowest opponent point total in program history
• The Golden Gophers currently lead the Big Ten and rank third in the country in scoring defense by allowing just 49.0 points per game. For comparison, last season Minnesota finished the year ranked 335th by allowing 74.8 points per game.
• Additionally, the Gophers are sixth in the country in rebound margin (13.4), ninth in rebounds per game (47.5), 11th in defensive rebounds per game (31), 12th in opponent field goal percentage (32.3) and 27th in scoring margin (+21.5)..
• Some of the advanced metrics, via HerHoopStats.com, also illustrate how strong the Gopher defense has been this year. Minnesota leads the nation in both opponent points per scoring attempt (shots+FT trips) at 0.75 and opponent points per play (shots+/FT trips+turnover) at 0.60, and is third in opponent points per 100 possessions at 69.7.
• The Gophers held their first five opponents to 53 points or fewer, the longest stretch of such games since the 2004-05 season when they also did it in five straight.
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BELLO DOMINATING THE GLASS
• Junior Taiye Bello posted double-doubles in the first three games this season. She was the first Minnesota player to have three straight double-doubles since Amanda Zahui B. ended the 2014-15 season with four in a row. Bello has eight in her career, with Minnesota going 8-0 in those games.
• Bello is the only player in the country to have four games this year with at least 18 rebounds.
• Bello finished with 14 points and 14 rebounds in the season opener vs. New Hampshire. She followed that up with 11 points and 16 rebounds at Xavier and had her double-double by halftime with 10 points and 13 rebounds in the first 20 minutes. Next game out against San Diego, she had 13 points and 18 rebounds.
• Though she didn't have a double-double against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, she did have a career-high 19 rebounds, which were the most by a Gopher since Zahui B. had 22 against DePaul in the NCAA Tournament on March 20, 2015.
• Arguably Bello's best performance came against No. 12 Syracuse when she went for a career-high 20 points and grabbed 18 rebounds, including 10 offensive.
• She followed that with 18 rebounds against Air Force, 10 of which came in the first quarter.
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• Bello is the only player in the country to have four games this year with at least 18 rebounds.
• Bello finished with 14 points and 14 rebounds in the season opener vs. New Hampshire. She followed that up with 11 points and 16 rebounds at Xavier and had her double-double by halftime with 10 points and 13 rebounds in the first 20 minutes. Next game out against San Diego, she had 13 points and 18 rebounds.
• Though she didn't have a double-double against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, she did have a career-high 19 rebounds, which were the most by a Gopher since Zahui B. had 22 against DePaul in the NCAA Tournament on March 20, 2015.
• Arguably Bello's best performance came against No. 12 Syracuse when she went for a career-high 20 points and grabbed 18 rebounds, including 10 offensive.
• She followed that with 18 rebounds against Air Force, 10 of which came in the first quarter.
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GOPHERS PLAYING WITH THE LEAD
• The Golden Gophers have spent very little time playing from behind this season. Of the 320 minutes played through eight games this year, Minnesota has played with the lead for 280:49 and trailed for just a total of 24:58.
• In five of the eight games this year the Gophers have led wire-to-wire. The majority of the team's time trailing came against San Diego (20:13), while the rest was versus No. 12 Syracuse (3:07) and Air Force (1:38).
• In five of the eight games this year the Gophers have led wire-to-wire. The majority of the team's time trailing came against San Diego (20:13), while the rest was versus No. 12 Syracuse (3:07) and Air Force (1:38).
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