University of Minnesota Athletics
Game Preview: Gophers at Iowa
2/3/2018 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
| RV/NR Minnesota (17-5, 6-3 B1G) at Iowa (17-6, 5-5 B1G) | |
| Date / Time | Sunday, Feb. 4 // 2 p.m. |
| Location | Carver-Hawkeye Arena // Iowa City, Iowa |
| Live Video | BTN Plus |
| Radio | 93.3 ALT FM // Listen Online // iHeart Radio App |
| Live Stats | StatBroadcast |
| Live Updates | Game Day Live |
| Game Notes | Minnesota // Iowa |
| Official Sites | Minnesota // Iowa |
| Social Media | @GopherWBB | Facebook | Instagram |
Minnesota continues its season-long three game road trip Sunday afternoon as it visits Iowa at 2 p.m.
Here are five things you need to know before tipoff:
1. The home team has won each of the last five meetings between the schools, including a 77-72 win for the Golden Gophers earlier ths year in Minneapolis on Jan. 21. Sunday will be the 76th all-time meeting between the teams, which would be the most for the Gophers against any one program.
2. In the latest AP poll, Minnesota was among teams receiving votes for the second time this year, also doing so on Nov. 27. Prior to that, the last time the Gophers received votes was in the Feb. 15, 2016 poll. At 17-5, Minnesota has already passed last season's win total and has won five of its past six games.
3. With 1,990 career points, senior guard Carlie Wagner is just 10 away from becoming the fifth player in Minnesota history to reach 2,000 points in a career. Ranked 10th among active DI players, she is 34 points away from passing Laura Coenen for fourth on Minnesota's career list. (See page 3 for more of Wagner's ranks).
4. Minnesota's scoring average of 84.5 points per game ranks third in the Big Ten Conference and sixth nationally. That's on pace to be the highest scoring average in team history, bettering the mark of 83.6 set in head coach Marlene Stollings' second season at Minnesota in 2015-16. Junior Kenisha Bell leads the Gophers with 19.3 points per game, while senior Carlie Wagner is not far behind at 17.9. They rank sixth and ninth, respectively, in the conference in scoring.
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.
SCOUTING THE HAWKEYES
• Iowa enters the game with a 17-6 record on the season and is 5-5 in Big Ten play. After opening the season with a 14-1 mark, the Hawkeyes have gone 3-5 since, including a stretch with four losses in five games.
• Head coach Lisa Bluder is in her 18th season at Iowa.
• Iowa is led by do-everything forward Megan Gustafson, who is averaging 24.5 points and 12.5 rebounds per game. She leads the country in made field goals (221) and is second in double-doubles (21), points (563), field goal percentage (66.6) and is third in points per game and rebounds (288).
• As a team, the Hawkeyes lead the country in total assists (499), rank second in defensive rebounds per game (32.0) and are third in assists per game (21.7). They also led the Big Ten in multiple categories, including blocks per game (5.8), field goal percentage (48.4) and total rebounds (998).
LAST MEETING WITH IOWA
• Meeting two weeks ago, five different players scored in double figures as Minnesota upset No. 20/20 Iowa with a 77-72 victory in Minneapolis on Jan. 21.
• It was the team's first win over a ranked team since knocking off No. 5 Ohio State 90-88 in overtime on Feb. 24, 2016.
• Kenisha Bell led the way for Minnesota with 21 points and a season-high 11 rebounds, recording her fifth double-double of the season. Carlie Wagner added 15 points, including 11 in the second half, while Destiny Pitts finished with 11 points and a career-high three blocks.
• Normally led by their guards, it was Minnesota's post players that provided a boost. Taiye Bello scored 12 points and grabbed nine rebounds in 23 minutes, while Bryanna Fernstrom also contributed off the bench with 11 points and seven rebounds.
'33' FOR THREE
• Preseason All-Big Ten senior Carlie Wagner is the Gophers' returning leading scorer, averaging 19.1 points last year. She was part of the nation's top-scoring duo with Rachel Banham in 2015-16.
• Wagner has earned All-Big Ten Second Team (2016, 2017) and Big Ten All-Freshman honors (2015).
• Wagner has 104 career games in double figures. She scored 10 or more points in 44 consecutive games from March 6, 2015 to Dec. 8, 2016.
• She is fifth on Minnesota's career scoring list (1,990 points) and second on the 3-point list (271).
• Wagner's 38 points at Michigan last season (1/15) tied the 12th-best scoring game in program history. She and Banham are the only Gophers since 2002 to score that many points in a game.
FROM WAY DOWNTOWN
• Minnesota's three best season 3-point field goal totals have come in the past three seasons. The Gophers made 214 in 2014-15, shattered that school record with 292 in 2015-16 and made 203 in 2016-17 even after graduating school record-holder Rachel Banham.
• The Gophers currently lead the Big Ten and are 16th nationally with 9.1 3-pointers per game. They have nine games making 10 or more 3-pointers.
• Carlie Wagner is second on the career list (271) and has the third best season total (92 last year), after Banham's top two seasons.
• Wagner started the year by making just 19-of-64 3-point attempts (29.7%) through her first nine games, but since then has made 46-of-94 (48.9%) over her last 13 contests.
• Wagner has a game with seven 3-pointers (at Georgetown) and two games with six 3-pointers (UC Riverside and at Wisconsin). Destiny Pitts added seven at Ohio State, while Gadiva Hubbard (vs. Lehigh) and Pitts (at UNLV and at Northwestern) each have games with six.
