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Gophers Open Italian Tour with 69-43 Win
8/10/2018 2:40:00 PM | Women's Basketball
ROME – Kicking off a new era for the program, the Minnesota women's basketball team opened its three-game exhibition slate in Italy with a 69-43 win over Deep 3 Select Friday night in Rome.
It was the first game played by the team since the hiring of head coach Lindsay Whalen and assistant coaches Danielle O'Banion, Carly Thibault-DuDonis and Kelly Roysland in April. With Whalen staying back in the United States to play for the Minnesota Lynx, O'Banion served as the head coach in Friday's contest and was pleased with the team's performance.
"It was exciting to see some of the things that they've been working on happen in a game environment, and it was encouraging to see us make some in-game adjustments," O'Banion said.
"I thought the scoring was good," she added. "This team has never been shy about offense, and it was good to see it tonight within some new structure. It was a little more evenly distributed, I thought."
Sophomore Destiny Pitts was one of three Gophers to reach double figures, leading the team with 21 points, including five 3-pointers. Junior Taiye Bello finished with 13 points, while senior Annalese Lamke added 12 to join Pitts in reaching double digits.
Minnesota came out strong in the game's opening quarter as the team began the game on a 16-6 run that was fueled by forcing numerous turnovers on defense. The Golden Gophers ended the first quarter with an 18-12 lead with Pitts and junior Gadiva Hubbard contributing five points each.
The lead doubled to 12 points entering intermission as Minnesota held a 37-25 advantage after 20 minutes. Pitts had her highest scoring quarter of the game in the second stanza with seven points, while Bello pitched in with four.
Senior Irene Garrido Perez had the hot hand in the third quarter as she knocked down a pair of 3-pointers to lead the team with six points in the frame. Minnesota outscored Deep 3 15-11 in the third to enter the fourth quarter with a 52-36 lead.
The strong defensive showing continued for the Gophers in the fourth quarter, limiting D3S to just nine points. Meanwhile, Pitts and Bello combined for 12 points in the quarter, scoring six points each to help put the game away.
The Golden Gophers continue their exhibition slate Sunday in Florence against German team TK Hannover at 6:30 p.m. local time, which is 11:30 a.m. in Minnesota.
It was the first game played by the team since the hiring of head coach Lindsay Whalen and assistant coaches Danielle O'Banion, Carly Thibault-DuDonis and Kelly Roysland in April. With Whalen staying back in the United States to play for the Minnesota Lynx, O'Banion served as the head coach in Friday's contest and was pleased with the team's performance.
"It was exciting to see some of the things that they've been working on happen in a game environment, and it was encouraging to see us make some in-game adjustments," O'Banion said.
"I thought the scoring was good," she added. "This team has never been shy about offense, and it was good to see it tonight within some new structure. It was a little more evenly distributed, I thought."
Sophomore Destiny Pitts was one of three Gophers to reach double figures, leading the team with 21 points, including five 3-pointers. Junior Taiye Bello finished with 13 points, while senior Annalese Lamke added 12 to join Pitts in reaching double digits.
Minnesota came out strong in the game's opening quarter as the team began the game on a 16-6 run that was fueled by forcing numerous turnovers on defense. The Golden Gophers ended the first quarter with an 18-12 lead with Pitts and junior Gadiva Hubbard contributing five points each.
The lead doubled to 12 points entering intermission as Minnesota held a 37-25 advantage after 20 minutes. Pitts had her highest scoring quarter of the game in the second stanza with seven points, while Bello pitched in with four.
Senior Irene Garrido Perez had the hot hand in the third quarter as she knocked down a pair of 3-pointers to lead the team with six points in the frame. Minnesota outscored Deep 3 15-11 in the third to enter the fourth quarter with a 52-36 lead.
The strong defensive showing continued for the Gophers in the fourth quarter, limiting D3S to just nine points. Meanwhile, Pitts and Bello combined for 12 points in the quarter, scoring six points each to help put the game away.
The Golden Gophers continue their exhibition slate Sunday in Florence against German team TK Hannover at 6:30 p.m. local time, which is 11:30 a.m. in Minnesota.
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