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University of Minnesota Athletics
Wednesday, February 6
Bloomington, Ind.
6:00 PM
University of Minnesota
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61
Indiana
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Minnesota
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Indiana
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Photo by: Brad Rempel
Gophers Hold Off Hoosiers to Win Third Straight
2/6/2019 8:18:00 PM | Women's Basketball
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Leading for the majority of the game, Minnesota (16-7, 5-7 B1G) held off a late charge from Indiana (17-7, 6-6) to secure its third straight win with a 65-61 victory Wednesday night at Assembly Hall.
Senior Kenisha Bell was one of three Gophers in double figures as she led all scorers with 22 points and added seven rebounds. Half of her points came from the free throw line as she finished 11-of-17 at the charity stripe. It was Bell's 10th game this year with at least 20 points, most on the team, and the 35th such game of her Minnesota career.
Sophomore Destiny Pitts chipped in with 17 points that included an 8-of-9 effort at the free throw line. As a team, the Gophers finished 20-of-28 at the free throw line and over the last two games, they've gone 45-for-59 (76.3 percent) at the foul line.
Senior Irene Garrido Perez, whose five career starts have come in the last five contests, was perfect from the floor by making all four shots, including all three 3-point attempts. Nine of her career-high 11 points came in the first half. In addition, she set career highs for field goals made, 3-pointers made, rebounds (6) and minutes played (40).
Coming off a career-high 21 rebounds Sunday against Rutgers, junior Taiye Bello continued her dominant play on the glass as she pulled down 14 boards Wednesday. Eight of the rebounds came on the offensive end, and she also scored six points and blocked three shots.
Minnesota opened the game on a 14-4 run and led 16-8 after the first quarter, holding Indiana to its fewest points in an opening quarter this season. Pitts (7) and Garrido Perez (6) combined to score 13 of the Gophers' 16 points.
The lead was nine for Minnesota early in the second quarter, but Indiana closed the gap with an 8-0 run to make it 21-20 with just over five minutes remaining in the first half. That would be the last time the Hoosiers would score in the half, though, as the Gophers scored the final six points.
Bell got fouled making a layup and converted the free throw attempt, while Garrido Perez knocked down her third triple of the half to give the Gophers a 27-20 edge going into halftime. The 20 points for Indiana were its fewest in any half this season.
After combining for 47 points in the first half, the teams combined for 41 in the third quarter alone as the Gophers outscored the Hoosiers, 21-20, to extend their lead. Bell scored nine points in the stanza, while Pitts and junior Jasmine Brunson each scored five. Minnesota held its biggest lead of the game at the 8:02 mark of the third as a Bello layup gave the Gophers a 35-22 lead.
Indiana would slowly chip away at the lead in the quarter but never got closer than six points and Minnesota held a 48-40 edge going to the fourth.
Minnesota held a lead of 12 at multiple points early in the fourth but had to survive one final surge from the Hoosiers. A basket from Pitts put Minnesota up 61-49 with 4:15 to go, but Indiana responded with 10 straight points. Jaelynn Penn kicked off the run with a 3-pointer and layup, while Brenna Wise added a 3-pointer of her own before Keyanna Warthen scored to make it a 61-59 game with just 29 seconds remaining.
Warthen was unable to make the free throw after her layup, but Aleksa Gulbe grabbed the offensive rebound. Penn, who scored 10 of her team-high 18 points in the fourth quarter, missed a go-ahead 3-pointer and Bell grabbed the rebound with 15 seconds to go.
Bell made one of two free throws and Bello grabbed the rebound off the miss, forcing a jump ball that gave Minnesota possession. Bell made both of her next free throw attempts to put the Gophers up 64-59 with 12 seconds left.
An Indiana layup cut the lead to three points, but Pitts was fouled and she made a free throw to push the lead back to two possessions and ice the game.
Minnesota is back in action Sunday as it hosts Northwestern (14-8, 7-4) at 1 p.m. on Big Ten Network. The teams met just six days ago in Evanston with the Gophers prevailing 61-54.
GAME NOTES
Minnesota leads the all-time series with Indiana 37-30 … Wednesday's victory snapped a three-game losing streak overall to the Hoosiers and a three-game skid in Bloomington … Minnesota is 5-3 this year in road games … Indiana's six assists were the fewest by a Gophers' opponent this season … with her 17 free throw attempts, which tied a season high, Kenisha Bell now has 196 this season to jump from 11th to a tie for fourth on the Gophers' single-season list … with six 3-point attempts, Pitts has 390 for her career to pass Shannon Loeblein (385) for eighth in Gophers history
Senior Kenisha Bell was one of three Gophers in double figures as she led all scorers with 22 points and added seven rebounds. Half of her points came from the free throw line as she finished 11-of-17 at the charity stripe. It was Bell's 10th game this year with at least 20 points, most on the team, and the 35th such game of her Minnesota career.
Sophomore Destiny Pitts chipped in with 17 points that included an 8-of-9 effort at the free throw line. As a team, the Gophers finished 20-of-28 at the free throw line and over the last two games, they've gone 45-for-59 (76.3 percent) at the foul line.
Senior Irene Garrido Perez, whose five career starts have come in the last five contests, was perfect from the floor by making all four shots, including all three 3-point attempts. Nine of her career-high 11 points came in the first half. In addition, she set career highs for field goals made, 3-pointers made, rebounds (6) and minutes played (40).
Coming off a career-high 21 rebounds Sunday against Rutgers, junior Taiye Bello continued her dominant play on the glass as she pulled down 14 boards Wednesday. Eight of the rebounds came on the offensive end, and she also scored six points and blocked three shots.
Minnesota opened the game on a 14-4 run and led 16-8 after the first quarter, holding Indiana to its fewest points in an opening quarter this season. Pitts (7) and Garrido Perez (6) combined to score 13 of the Gophers' 16 points.
The lead was nine for Minnesota early in the second quarter, but Indiana closed the gap with an 8-0 run to make it 21-20 with just over five minutes remaining in the first half. That would be the last time the Hoosiers would score in the half, though, as the Gophers scored the final six points.
Bell got fouled making a layup and converted the free throw attempt, while Garrido Perez knocked down her third triple of the half to give the Gophers a 27-20 edge going into halftime. The 20 points for Indiana were its fewest in any half this season.
After combining for 47 points in the first half, the teams combined for 41 in the third quarter alone as the Gophers outscored the Hoosiers, 21-20, to extend their lead. Bell scored nine points in the stanza, while Pitts and junior Jasmine Brunson each scored five. Minnesota held its biggest lead of the game at the 8:02 mark of the third as a Bello layup gave the Gophers a 35-22 lead.
Indiana would slowly chip away at the lead in the quarter but never got closer than six points and Minnesota held a 48-40 edge going to the fourth.
Minnesota held a lead of 12 at multiple points early in the fourth but had to survive one final surge from the Hoosiers. A basket from Pitts put Minnesota up 61-49 with 4:15 to go, but Indiana responded with 10 straight points. Jaelynn Penn kicked off the run with a 3-pointer and layup, while Brenna Wise added a 3-pointer of her own before Keyanna Warthen scored to make it a 61-59 game with just 29 seconds remaining.
Warthen was unable to make the free throw after her layup, but Aleksa Gulbe grabbed the offensive rebound. Penn, who scored 10 of her team-high 18 points in the fourth quarter, missed a go-ahead 3-pointer and Bell grabbed the rebound with 15 seconds to go.
Bell made one of two free throws and Bello grabbed the rebound off the miss, forcing a jump ball that gave Minnesota possession. Bell made both of her next free throw attempts to put the Gophers up 64-59 with 12 seconds left.
An Indiana layup cut the lead to three points, but Pitts was fouled and she made a free throw to push the lead back to two possessions and ice the game.
Minnesota is back in action Sunday as it hosts Northwestern (14-8, 7-4) at 1 p.m. on Big Ten Network. The teams met just six days ago in Evanston with the Gophers prevailing 61-54.
GAME NOTES
Minnesota leads the all-time series with Indiana 37-30 … Wednesday's victory snapped a three-game losing streak overall to the Hoosiers and a three-game skid in Bloomington … Minnesota is 5-3 this year in road games … Indiana's six assists were the fewest by a Gophers' opponent this season … with her 17 free throw attempts, which tied a season high, Kenisha Bell now has 196 this season to jump from 11th to a tie for fourth on the Gophers' single-season list … with six 3-point attempts, Pitts has 390 for her career to pass Shannon Loeblein (385) for eighth in Gophers history
Team Stats
F-428
F-306
FG%
.364
.386
3FG%
.357
.200
FT%
.714
.700
RB
39
38
TO
13
13
STL
5
4
Game Leaders
Pts
22
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
11
Pts
17
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
8
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Pts
7
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Basketball
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/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's BasketballG/F
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