University of Minnesota Athletics
Game Preview: Gophers vs. Penn State
2/9/2018 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
| Minnesota (18-6, 7-4 B1G) vs. Penn State (14-11, 5-7 B1G) | |
| Date / Time | Sunday, Feb. 11 // 3 p.m. CT |
| Location | Williams Arena - Directions |
| Tickets | Purchase Here |
| Travel | Local Weather | Parking | Preferred Hotels |
| TV | Big Ten Network |
| Radio | 93.3 ALT FM // Listen Online // iHeart Radio App |
| Live Stats | |
| Live Updates | Game Day Live |
| Game Notes | Minnesota // Penn State |
| Official Sites | Minnesota // Penn State |
| Social Media | @GopherWBB | Facebook | Instagram |
Coming off an impressive 78-74 win Thursday at Purdue that snapped the Boilermakers' seven-game home winning streak, Minnesota returns to Williams Arena for the first of four straight home games this Sunday against Penn State at 3 p.m.
Here are five things you need to know before tipoff:
1. Sunday's contest is Minnesota's annual Pink Game where the team will don pink jerseys and raise awareness for cancer research. This season, each member of the team is making a monetary donation to the Kay Yow Cancer Fund of $250 from their scholarship money, which totals $3000. Head coach Marlene Stollings is matching their donation for a total of $6000 that will be given to the Kay Yow Fund.
2. Since head coach Marlene Stollings arrived for the 2014-15 season the Gophers have gone 5-1 against the Lady Lions, including a 91-71 win in University Park earlier this year on Jan. 10.
3. Junior Kenisha Bell is one of the most versatile players in the country. She is the only player in the Big Ten to rank in the top five of points per game (20.0), assists per game (6.5) and steals per game (2.7). Nationally, she ranks 33rd in scoring average and 17th in assists per game, joining her with Oregon's Sabrina Ionescu (35th and 6th, respectively) as the only players in the country to rank in the top 35 of each category.
4. The Gophers are 49-11 at Williams Arena under Marlene Stollings, including a 10-1 mark this year. The 49-11 record includes five wins over ranked teams, most notably an overtime victory against No. 5 Ohio State in 2016 and a win over No. 20 Iowa on Jan. 21 of this year.
5. Minnesota's scoring average of 84.3 points per game ranks second in the Big Ten and fifth nationally. That's on pace to be the highest scoring average in team history, currently 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 20.0 points per game, while senior Carlie Wagner is not far behind at 17.5. They rank fifth and ninth, respectively, in the conference in scoring. The Gophers also sit 17th in the country in both 3-pointers made (214) and 3-pointer made per game (8.9).
PROMOTIONS
• The first 1,000 fans to Sunday's game receive a commemorative pink scarf.
Be one of the first 1,000 fans at Sunday's Pink Game game against Penn State and this scarf is yours!
Buy 🎟 here: https://t.co/RCiAcxMzq9 pic.twitter.com/sPyIWWFo8K- Minnesota WBB (@GopherWBB) February 6, 2018
SCOUTING THE LADY LIONS
• Penn State is 14-11 on the season and 5-7 in Big Ten play. The Lady Lions have lost three of their past four games, including most recently an 80-76 setback at Iowa on Feb. 8.
• Penn State features three players averaging at least 12.0 points per game on the season and 13.0 points per game in league play, respectively, including Teniya Page (18.1 and 18.6), Amari Carter (14.7 and 15.2) and Jaida Travascio-Green (12.4 and 13.2).
• Penn State leads the Big Ten in both free throws made and attempted. The Lady Lions' 376 makes rank eighth nationally, while their 512 attempts rank 19th in the country.
• Carter leads the Big Ten in total steals (45) and is second in steals per game (2.68).
LAST MEETING WITH PENN STATE
• Minnesota used its best shooting performance of the season to secure a 91-71 road win at Penn State on Jan. 10.
•The Golden Gophers made 38 of 66 shot attempts, for a 57.6 field goal percentage, which was its best mark since head coach Marlene Stollings arrived on campus.
•Carlie Wagner posted a game-high 23 points while Destiny Pitts (16) and Gadiva Hubbard (12) also reached double figures.
'33' FOR THREE
• With 20 points at Iowa on Feb. 4, senior guard Carlie Wagner became the fifth player in Minnesota history to reach 2,000 points in a career. Ranked 11th among active DI players with 2,018 career points, she is 26 points away from passing Laura Coenen for fourth on Minnesota's career list.
• Wagner is second on the team this year with an average of 17.5 points per game and ranks third in the Big Ten in 3-pointers made (70), 3-pointers made per game (2.92) and 3-point percentage (41.9).
• She is fifth on Minnesota's career scoring list with 2,018 points and second on the 3-point chart with 276 makes.
• Wagner has 105 career games in double figures, including a streak of 44 consecutive games from March 6, 2015 to Dec. 8, 2016 where she scored at least 10 points.
• Wagner's 38 points at Michigan last season (1/15/17) was the 12th-best scoring game in program history.
• Wagner has earned All-Big Ten Second Team (2016, 2017) and Big Ten All-Freshman honors (2015).
FABULOUS FROSH
• Freshman Destiny Pitts has recorded double-figure points 14 times this season and has a team-high five double-doubles.
• She recorded 22 points and 11 rebounds in the first Big Ten game of her career at Northwestern, while at No. 10 Ohio State she finished with a career-high 28 points.
• Pitts has been named Big Ten Freshman of the Week a league-best five times this season. She's one of just eight players in B1G 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.
