University of Minnesota Athletics
Sunday, December 8
Washington, D.C.
1:00 PM
University of Minnesota
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American
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Photo by: Brad Rempel
Minnesota's D.C. Road Trip Starts Sunday at American
12/6/2019 1:42:00 PM | Women's Basketball
MINNEAPOLIS -- Winners of six straight, RV/RV Minnesota (6-1) continues its three-game road swing Sunday when it visits American (2-5). The game, which tips off at 1 p.m. CT, can be seen on WatchStadium.com and heard on the Gophers' radio home, 96.7 KFAN Plus.Â
THE OPENING TIP-OFF
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FACING AMERICAN
RECAPPING THE WIN AT NOTRE DAME
FRESHMEN POWELL, SCALIA MAKING INSTANT IMPACT
• Converting turnovers into points has been a trend for the Gophers all season. They have turned those 152 takeaways into 184 points this year, an average of 1.21 points for every turnover forced.
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THE OPENING TIP-OFF
• Minnesota's stretch of three straight true road games is its longest since visiting Wisconsin, Iowa and Purdue in late January and early February of 2018. The last time the Gophers played three straight road games out-of-conference was late November and early December of 2007 when they played at Hawaii, Virginia Tech and Charlotte.
• Minnesota is receiving votes in both the latest AP Poll and the USA Today Coaches Poll. The Gophers were ranked No. 23 to start the year in the AP Preseason Poll. It was the fifth time in program history they had been ranked in the AP Preseason Poll and the first since they were No. 16 in 2005-06.
• Senior Taiye Bello has posted double-doubles in five of the team's seven games this year, including each of the last three games. Her five double-doubles lead the Big Ten and are eighth in the nation. In her career, Bello has 20 double-doubles to rank seventh in Gophers history, and the Gophers are 18-2 in those games. She is just one of 32 players in the country, and the only one from the Big Ten, to be averaging a double-double. Even better, she's one of just 16 players nationally with her averages of at least 13.0 points and 10.7 rebounds per game this year.
• Though only seven games have been played, the Minnesota offense has picked up its scoring and production in year two under head coach Lindsay Whalen. The Gophers are averaging 80.4 points per game this year, 10.5 points better than the 69.9 points they were averaging at this same stage a season ago. Two areas where Minnesota has already seen improvement are from 3-point range and at the free-throw line. The Gophers' field goal percentage on 3-pointers is 94 points better than last year even though they have 68 more attempts this year, and they are shooting 165 points better on free throws. The Gophers lead the Big Ten and rank sixth nationally as they shoot 79.7 from the line.
• Individually, Destiny Pitts is shooting 41.7 percent (20-48) on 3-pointers this year, after making just 25.7 percent (9-35) through seven games a year ago. In addition, freshman Sara Scalia (42.3%) and redshirt junior Gadiva Hubbard (42.9%), who missed last year with an injury, have bolstered the 3-point shooting. Meanwhile at the line, five Gophers have attempted at least 10 free throws this year and all are shooting better than 73 percent, including Pitts (87.5), Jasmine Powell (83.9) and Taiye Bello (82.6), who rank 1-2-3 in the B1G in free throw percentage. Last year at this stage, of the six players with at least 10 attempts, only two were above 69 percent.
• Minnesota is receiving votes in both the latest AP Poll and the USA Today Coaches Poll. The Gophers were ranked No. 23 to start the year in the AP Preseason Poll. It was the fifth time in program history they had been ranked in the AP Preseason Poll and the first since they were No. 16 in 2005-06.
• Senior Taiye Bello has posted double-doubles in five of the team's seven games this year, including each of the last three games. Her five double-doubles lead the Big Ten and are eighth in the nation. In her career, Bello has 20 double-doubles to rank seventh in Gophers history, and the Gophers are 18-2 in those games. She is just one of 32 players in the country, and the only one from the Big Ten, to be averaging a double-double. Even better, she's one of just 16 players nationally with her averages of at least 13.0 points and 10.7 rebounds per game this year.
• Though only seven games have been played, the Minnesota offense has picked up its scoring and production in year two under head coach Lindsay Whalen. The Gophers are averaging 80.4 points per game this year, 10.5 points better than the 69.9 points they were averaging at this same stage a season ago. Two areas where Minnesota has already seen improvement are from 3-point range and at the free-throw line. The Gophers' field goal percentage on 3-pointers is 94 points better than last year even though they have 68 more attempts this year, and they are shooting 165 points better on free throws. The Gophers lead the Big Ten and rank sixth nationally as they shoot 79.7 from the line.
• Individually, Destiny Pitts is shooting 41.7 percent (20-48) on 3-pointers this year, after making just 25.7 percent (9-35) through seven games a year ago. In addition, freshman Sara Scalia (42.3%) and redshirt junior Gadiva Hubbard (42.9%), who missed last year with an injury, have bolstered the 3-point shooting. Meanwhile at the line, five Gophers have attempted at least 10 free throws this year and all are shooting better than 73 percent, including Pitts (87.5), Jasmine Powell (83.9) and Taiye Bello (82.6), who rank 1-2-3 in the B1G in free throw percentage. Last year at this stage, of the six players with at least 10 attempts, only two were above 69 percent.
FACING AMERICAN
• Sunday marks the second ever meeting between the Gophers and Eagles.
• Minnesota won the only previous meeting on Nov. 22, 2008, with a 79-62 victory in Minneapolis.
• American has one Minnesotan on its roster: sophomore Taylor Brown from Lakeville and Lakeville North HS. Minnesota doesn't have a player with direct ties to the D.C. area, though Gadiva Hubbard hails from Virginia Beach, Va., which is about four hours south.
• American started the season 2-1, but has since lost four straight by an average score of 70.3-55.3. Minnesota is the only Power 5 team on the Eagles' schedule this year.
• Jade Edwards is the top scorer in the Patriot League at 17.4 points per game, while her 7.1 rebounds are the most for American. Kaitlyn Marenyi, who has attempted the most 3-pointers in the Patriot League this year with 51, is the only other player in double figures for the Eagles at 11.7 points per game.
• Minnesota won the only previous meeting on Nov. 22, 2008, with a 79-62 victory in Minneapolis.
• American has one Minnesotan on its roster: sophomore Taylor Brown from Lakeville and Lakeville North HS. Minnesota doesn't have a player with direct ties to the D.C. area, though Gadiva Hubbard hails from Virginia Beach, Va., which is about four hours south.
• American started the season 2-1, but has since lost four straight by an average score of 70.3-55.3. Minnesota is the only Power 5 team on the Eagles' schedule this year.
• Jade Edwards is the top scorer in the Patriot League at 17.4 points per game, while her 7.1 rebounds are the most for American. Kaitlyn Marenyi, who has attempted the most 3-pointers in the Patriot League this year with 51, is the only other player in double figures for the Eagles at 11.7 points per game.
RECAPPING THE WIN AT NOTRE DAME
• Playing in its first road game of the year, Minnesota withstood a late surge from Notre Dame to claim a 75-67 win Wednesday night in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.
• Minnesota led by as many as 18 points late in the second quarter only to see the Irish fight back to take a 59-58 lead with 4:50 to play in the game. The Golden Gophers responded, though, with a 15-2 run to put the game away
• Gadiva Hubbard led all scorers as she matched a season high with 20 points, including six 3-pointers that matched a career best. As a team, the Gophers made 12 from beyond the arc, the most ever under Coach Whalen.
• Taiye Bello continued her double-double run with 16 points and a season-high 16 rebounds (10 on the defensive end). She also showcased her defense with five blocks to give her exactly 100 blocks for her career.
• Destiny Pitts (14) and Jasmine Brunson (13) also reached double figures, and Brunson led the team with six assists.Â
• Notre Dame's Anaya Peoples made a layup with 4:50 to play to give the Irish a 59-58 lead, but Hubbard knocked down a 3-pointer and scored on a layup to kickstart a 7-0 Minnesota run. The Fighting Irish got within 65-61 but Hubbard and Pitts made 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions to extend the lead to 10 points with just 2:31 to play.
• Minnesota has now won seven straight road openers and is 20-27 all-time in such games dating to 1973-74.
• Minnesota led by as many as 18 points late in the second quarter only to see the Irish fight back to take a 59-58 lead with 4:50 to play in the game. The Golden Gophers responded, though, with a 15-2 run to put the game away
• Gadiva Hubbard led all scorers as she matched a season high with 20 points, including six 3-pointers that matched a career best. As a team, the Gophers made 12 from beyond the arc, the most ever under Coach Whalen.
• Taiye Bello continued her double-double run with 16 points and a season-high 16 rebounds (10 on the defensive end). She also showcased her defense with five blocks to give her exactly 100 blocks for her career.
• Destiny Pitts (14) and Jasmine Brunson (13) also reached double figures, and Brunson led the team with six assists.Â
• Notre Dame's Anaya Peoples made a layup with 4:50 to play to give the Irish a 59-58 lead, but Hubbard knocked down a 3-pointer and scored on a layup to kickstart a 7-0 Minnesota run. The Fighting Irish got within 65-61 but Hubbard and Pitts made 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions to extend the lead to 10 points with just 2:31 to play.
• Minnesota has now won seven straight road openers and is 20-27 all-time in such games dating to 1973-74.
FRESHMEN POWELL, SCALIA MAKING INSTANT IMPACT
• Minnesota has six freshmen on its 2019-20 roster and some are already making significant contributions.Â
• Jasmine Powell has come off the bench in all seven games but is third on the team in scoring at 10.9 points per game and has a 3.71-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio, which ranks sixth nationally and leads the Big Ten. She's also 26-of-31 (.839) at the free-throw line to lead the team in free throws made and attempted and rank second in the conference in free-throw percentage.
• She put up 19 points against Vermont on Nov. 10, the most by a non-starter at Minnesota since teammate Destiny Pitts had 20 on Nov. 16, 2017, and has scored in double figures in four of seven games this year.
• Sara Scalia has started each of the last six contests and leads the team in 3-point percentage (.423), is second in field goal percentage (.453), third in rebounding (3.6) and sixth in scoring average (9.4).
• Against Bryant on Nov. 26, she scored a career-high 20 points and tied a career high with seven rebounds en route to being named B1G Freshman of the Week.
• With Powell averaging 10.9 points per game and Scalia at 9.4, the Gophers' duo is showing the makings of one of the top freshman scoring combinations in recent program history. In the last 10 years, Minnesota has not seen two freshmen score average more than 6.2 points per game in the same season.Â
GOPHERS WINNING TURNOVER BATTLE
• Jasmine Powell has come off the bench in all seven games but is third on the team in scoring at 10.9 points per game and has a 3.71-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio, which ranks sixth nationally and leads the Big Ten. She's also 26-of-31 (.839) at the free-throw line to lead the team in free throws made and attempted and rank second in the conference in free-throw percentage.
• She put up 19 points against Vermont on Nov. 10, the most by a non-starter at Minnesota since teammate Destiny Pitts had 20 on Nov. 16, 2017, and has scored in double figures in four of seven games this year.
• Sara Scalia has started each of the last six contests and leads the team in 3-point percentage (.423), is second in field goal percentage (.453), third in rebounding (3.6) and sixth in scoring average (9.4).
• Against Bryant on Nov. 26, she scored a career-high 20 points and tied a career high with seven rebounds en route to being named B1G Freshman of the Week.
• With Powell averaging 10.9 points per game and Scalia at 9.4, the Gophers' duo is showing the makings of one of the top freshman scoring combinations in recent program history. In the last 10 years, Minnesota has not seen two freshmen score average more than 6.2 points per game in the same season.Â
GOPHERS WINNING TURNOVER BATTLE
• Minnesota is winning the turnover battle so far, forcing 152 turnovers while giving the ball away just 77 times through seven games.Â
• Not only do the Gophers lead the Big Ten and rank fifth nationally with 11.0 turnovers per game, they also rank second in the league in average turnover margin (+10.71; fifth nationally), and rank third in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.34; 11th nationally) and turnovers forced per game (21.71; 26th nationally).
• In terms of taking care of the ball, against Vermont on Nov. 10 the Gophers only committed five turnovers, which tied for the third fewest in program history. The Gophers have had three games this year with less than 10 turnovers, including each of the last two contests. Minnesota has only had one game this year where it has turned the ball over more than 13 times this year, and that was the season opener.
• Against Milwaukee on Nov. 14, Minnesota forced the Panthers into 33 turnovers, which tied for the 10th most forced in program history. The Gophers then turned those 33 turnovers into 35 points.
• Not only do the Gophers lead the Big Ten and rank fifth nationally with 11.0 turnovers per game, they also rank second in the league in average turnover margin (+10.71; fifth nationally), and rank third in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.34; 11th nationally) and turnovers forced per game (21.71; 26th nationally).
• In terms of taking care of the ball, against Vermont on Nov. 10 the Gophers only committed five turnovers, which tied for the third fewest in program history. The Gophers have had three games this year with less than 10 turnovers, including each of the last two contests. Minnesota has only had one game this year where it has turned the ball over more than 13 times this year, and that was the season opener.
• Against Milwaukee on Nov. 14, Minnesota forced the Panthers into 33 turnovers, which tied for the 10th most forced in program history. The Gophers then turned those 33 turnovers into 35 points.
• Converting turnovers into points has been a trend for the Gophers all season. They have turned those 152 takeaways into 184 points this year, an average of 1.21 points for every turnover forced.
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IN THE POLLS
• Minnesota is receiving votes in both the latest AP Poll and the USA Today Coaches Poll.Â
• The Gophers come in 30th in the latest AP Poll with 10 points, while they are 32nd in the Coaches Poll with eight points.
• Ten of the Gophers' opponents this season currently appear in at least one of the two preseason polls. Maryland (9 AP/9 Coaches), Indiana (16/14), Michigan State (19/21), Missouri State (22/18) and Michigan (24/25) are ranked in both polls, while Notre Dame, Northwestern and Purdue are receiving votes in each poll.Â
• Rutgers is receiving votes in the AP Poll, while Arizona State is doing the same in the Coaches Poll.
• The Gophers come in 30th in the latest AP Poll with 10 points, while they are 32nd in the Coaches Poll with eight points.
• Ten of the Gophers' opponents this season currently appear in at least one of the two preseason polls. Maryland (9 AP/9 Coaches), Indiana (16/14), Michigan State (19/21), Missouri State (22/18) and Michigan (24/25) are ranked in both polls, while Notre Dame, Northwestern and Purdue are receiving votes in each poll.Â
• Rutgers is receiving votes in the AP Poll, while Arizona State is doing the same in the Coaches Poll.
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