University of Minnesota Athletics
Wednesday, December 2
Williams Arena
2:00 PM
University of Minnesota
vs
Eastern Illinois
Players Mentioned
F
/ Women's Basketball
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/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
C
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
F/C
/ Women's Basketball
Photo by: Brad Rempel
Gophers Open 2020-21 Season Wednesday vs. EIU
11/30/2020 4:02:00 PM | Women's Basketball
MINNEAPOLIS -- Minnesota women's basketball begins its 50th season of play Wednesday at 2 p.m. against Eastern Illinois (1-0) in the 2020-21 season opener.
The game, which will be the seventh straight season opener at home for Minnesota, will be available to view online on BTN+ and can be heard on the Gophers' radio home, 96.7 FM KFAN Plus.
THE OPENING TIP-OFF
FACING EASTERN ILLINOIS
WHALEN ENTERS THIRD SEASON AT HELM
POWELL, SCALIA MADE INSTANT IMPACT AS FRESHMEN
HUBBARD BECOMES 26TH MEMBER OF THE 1,000-POINT CLUB AT MINNESOTA
The game, which will be the seventh straight season opener at home for Minnesota, will be available to view online on BTN+ and can be heard on the Gophers' radio home, 96.7 FM KFAN Plus.
THE OPENING TIP-OFF
• Minnesota is 28-19 in season-opening games dating back to 1973-74. The Gophers have won 10 of their past 11 season openers and 17 of their last 19 such games. The only losses in that span were to Stanford in 2008 and Missouri State last season. Minnesota is also 40-7 in home openers dating back to 1973-74 with wins in 19 of its last 20 home-opening contests.
• As a result of COVID-19, Minnesota will be playing its latest season opener since also beginning the 1976-77 campaign on Dec. 2. This comes just one year after playing the earliest season opener in program history (Nov. 5).
• Minnesota is coming off a 16-15 season (5-13 in Big Ten play) in which it reached the second round of the Big Ten Tournament in Lindsay Whalen's second season as head coach. The Gophers started the year 9-1, its fourth best 10-game start, while its 11-1 beginning was its fifth best one-loss start.
• The Golden Gophers return four letterwinners from last season's squad, including three of their top five scorers in sophomore Jasmine Powell (12.1, 2nd), senior Gadiva Hubbard (11.2, 4th) and sophomore Sara Scalia (10.8, 5th). All three earned All-Big Ten honors a year ago as Powell was a consensus pick for both All-Big Ten Honorable Mention and the Big Ten All-Freshman Team, while Hubbard was an All-Big Ten Honorable Mention honoree by the media, as was Scalia, who also earned a place on the media's Big Ten All-Freshman Team.
• Three Gophers took redshirts last season but will now be eligible to play this year. Sophomore forward Kadi Sissoko sat out after transferring from Syracuse. A former five-star recruit, she averaged 3.2 points, 1.8 rebounds in 9.6 minutes of action over 22 games as a freshman for the Orange. Redshirt freshmen forwards Grace Cumming and Justice Ross both hail from Des Moines, Iowa, and were three-star recruits out of high school.
• Five newcomers join the program this year with a pair of transfers and three freshmen. Graduate transfer Laura Bagwell Katalinich, a Minneapolis native, joins the Gophers after spending the last three seasons at Cornell, while junior Kayla Mershon, from Minnetonka, will sit out this season after transferring from Nebraska. Among the three incoming freshmen, five-star guard Alexia Smith joins from Columbus, Ohio, while four-star forward Erin Hedman (New Berlin) and three-star guard Caroline Strande (Racine) are both Wisconsin natives.
• As a result of COVID-19, Minnesota will be playing its latest season opener since also beginning the 1976-77 campaign on Dec. 2. This comes just one year after playing the earliest season opener in program history (Nov. 5).
• Minnesota is coming off a 16-15 season (5-13 in Big Ten play) in which it reached the second round of the Big Ten Tournament in Lindsay Whalen's second season as head coach. The Gophers started the year 9-1, its fourth best 10-game start, while its 11-1 beginning was its fifth best one-loss start.
• The Golden Gophers return four letterwinners from last season's squad, including three of their top five scorers in sophomore Jasmine Powell (12.1, 2nd), senior Gadiva Hubbard (11.2, 4th) and sophomore Sara Scalia (10.8, 5th). All three earned All-Big Ten honors a year ago as Powell was a consensus pick for both All-Big Ten Honorable Mention and the Big Ten All-Freshman Team, while Hubbard was an All-Big Ten Honorable Mention honoree by the media, as was Scalia, who also earned a place on the media's Big Ten All-Freshman Team.
• Three Gophers took redshirts last season but will now be eligible to play this year. Sophomore forward Kadi Sissoko sat out after transferring from Syracuse. A former five-star recruit, she averaged 3.2 points, 1.8 rebounds in 9.6 minutes of action over 22 games as a freshman for the Orange. Redshirt freshmen forwards Grace Cumming and Justice Ross both hail from Des Moines, Iowa, and were three-star recruits out of high school.
• Five newcomers join the program this year with a pair of transfers and three freshmen. Graduate transfer Laura Bagwell Katalinich, a Minneapolis native, joins the Gophers after spending the last three seasons at Cornell, while junior Kayla Mershon, from Minnetonka, will sit out this season after transferring from Nebraska. Among the three incoming freshmen, five-star guard Alexia Smith joins from Columbus, Ohio, while four-star forward Erin Hedman (New Berlin) and three-star guard Caroline Strande (Racine) are both Wisconsin natives.
FACING EASTERN ILLINOIS
• Minnesota and Eastern Illinois meet for the second time ever Wednesday.
• The only prior meeting came exactly 20 years ago on Dec. 2 at the 2000 Kansas Tournament in Lawrence, Kan. EIU prevailed 73-72 thanks to a go-ahead basket with five seconds to play.
• The Golden Gophers are 1-1 all-time against teams currently in the Ohio Valley Conference. Aside from the 2000 matchup with Eastern Illinois, Minnesota's only other game against an OVC school came in 2016 when it beat Belmont 75-74. That puts the Gophers' all-time score vs. the OVC at 147-147.
• Eastern Illinois opened its season with an 82-71 victory over Illinois-Chicago Wednesday. Five players reached double figures for EIU with Lariah Washington leading the way with 18 points, while Abby Wahl posted a double-double with 16 points and 21 rebounds.
• The Panthers are coming off a 19-12 season, including a 12-6 mark in the OVC, in its third and best season under head coach Matt Bollant. The Panthers reached the semifinals of the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament.
• EIU was picked fifth in the OVC preseason rankings as the team's top seven scorers from a year ago all return. • Karle Pace and Washington were each named to the preseason All-OVC Team this year. Pace has been EIU's top scorer each of the last two years, including 15.0 points per game last season to earn All-OVC First Team honors. The reigning OVC Freshman of the Year, Washington was second on the team in rebounds (5.0) and third in scoring (11.2) as she joined Pace on the All-OVC First Team a year ago.
• Washington is the lone Minnesotan on the EIU roster. She is from St. Cloud and attended St. Cloud Apollo High School.
• Bollant is no stranger to Minnesota. He grew up in Winona and graduated from Winona State. He was the head coach at Illinois from 2012-17 and prior to that was at Green Bay from 2007-12. He was 3-4 against the Gophers while with the Illini and 1-0 while with the Phoenix.
• Minnesota assistant coach Danielle O'Banion was associate head coach at Memphis when current EIU assistant coach Damonique Miller played her redshirt sophomore and junior seasons.
• The only prior meeting came exactly 20 years ago on Dec. 2 at the 2000 Kansas Tournament in Lawrence, Kan. EIU prevailed 73-72 thanks to a go-ahead basket with five seconds to play.
• The Golden Gophers are 1-1 all-time against teams currently in the Ohio Valley Conference. Aside from the 2000 matchup with Eastern Illinois, Minnesota's only other game against an OVC school came in 2016 when it beat Belmont 75-74. That puts the Gophers' all-time score vs. the OVC at 147-147.
• Eastern Illinois opened its season with an 82-71 victory over Illinois-Chicago Wednesday. Five players reached double figures for EIU with Lariah Washington leading the way with 18 points, while Abby Wahl posted a double-double with 16 points and 21 rebounds.
• The Panthers are coming off a 19-12 season, including a 12-6 mark in the OVC, in its third and best season under head coach Matt Bollant. The Panthers reached the semifinals of the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament.
• EIU was picked fifth in the OVC preseason rankings as the team's top seven scorers from a year ago all return. • Karle Pace and Washington were each named to the preseason All-OVC Team this year. Pace has been EIU's top scorer each of the last two years, including 15.0 points per game last season to earn All-OVC First Team honors. The reigning OVC Freshman of the Year, Washington was second on the team in rebounds (5.0) and third in scoring (11.2) as she joined Pace on the All-OVC First Team a year ago.
• Washington is the lone Minnesotan on the EIU roster. She is from St. Cloud and attended St. Cloud Apollo High School.
• Bollant is no stranger to Minnesota. He grew up in Winona and graduated from Winona State. He was the head coach at Illinois from 2012-17 and prior to that was at Green Bay from 2007-12. He was 3-4 against the Gophers while with the Illini and 1-0 while with the Phoenix.
• Minnesota assistant coach Danielle O'Banion was associate head coach at Memphis when current EIU assistant coach Damonique Miller played her redshirt sophomore and junior seasons.
WHALEN ENTERS THIRD SEASON AT HELM
• Lindsay Whalen enters her third season as the head coach of the Golden Gophers with a 37-26 record overall and 14-22 mark in Big Ten play.
• Her win total and win percentage (.587) are both the fourth highest all-time among Gopher coaches through her first two season.
• She is already fifth in program history for victories, while her win percentage is third best among those with at least 50 games coached.
• Including Whalen, there were 23 head coaches in NCAA Division I who made their debuts in 2018-19. Through two seasons, Whalen ranks second among them in wins and win percentage. She trails only Western Kentucky's Greg Collins (42 wins, .656 win percentage).
• Whalen has coached one WNBA draft pick, one All-American, seven All-Big Ten honorees, two members of the Big Ten All-Freshman team, one Big Ten All-Defensive Team player and 11 Academic All-Big Ten honorees.
• Her win total and win percentage (.587) are both the fourth highest all-time among Gopher coaches through her first two season.
• She is already fifth in program history for victories, while her win percentage is third best among those with at least 50 games coached.
• Including Whalen, there were 23 head coaches in NCAA Division I who made their debuts in 2018-19. Through two seasons, Whalen ranks second among them in wins and win percentage. She trails only Western Kentucky's Greg Collins (42 wins, .656 win percentage).
• Whalen has coached one WNBA draft pick, one All-American, seven All-Big Ten honorees, two members of the Big Ten All-Freshman team, one Big Ten All-Defensive Team player and 11 Academic All-Big Ten honorees.
POWELL, SCALIA MADE INSTANT IMPACT AS FRESHMEN
• Minnesota sophomores Jasmine Powell and Sara Scalia made immediate impacts on the program last year as both were All-Big Ten Honorable Mention honorees (coaches and media for Powell, media for Scalia) and earned spots on the All-Freshman Team.
• Powell who started each of the final 12 games after coming off the bench in the previous 19, led the Gophers in points (375), field goal attempts (346) and free throw attempts (131). She also ranked fourth all-time among Minnesota freshmen in free throws made (99) and assists (96).
• Powell who started each of the final 12 games after coming off the bench in the previous 19, led the Gophers in points (375), field goal attempts (346) and free throw attempts (131). She also ranked fourth all-time among Minnesota freshmen in free throws made (99) and assists (96).
• Powell led all Big Ten freshmen in points per game (12.1) and free throw percentage (.756); also led B1G freshmen in scoring in conference games only (13.1).
• She became the first freshman ever in program history to lead the team in assists, the first freshman to lead in free throw percentage (min. 100 attempts) since Carol Ann Shudlick in 1990-91 and the first freshman to lead in free throws made since Ashley Ellis-Milan in 2006-07.
• Powell put up 19 points against Vermont on Nov. 10, the most by a non-starter at Minnesota since Nov. of 2017. She later posted a career-high 24 points at Wisconsin on Feb. 6, then went for 20 vs. Michigan on Feb. 10 and had 21 at Ohio State on Feb. 13, making her the the only Gopher freshman to score 20+ in three straight games in at least the last 25 seasons.
• Powell scored in double figures in 19 games last year, including 13 of the last 14 contests. She had four 20-point games, all of which have come in the last nine contests.
• Scalia played in all 31 games a year ago with 30 starts, averaging 10.8 points per game.
• Scalia ranked fourth all-time among Minnesota freshmen in 3-pointers made (59) and minutes per game (32.3), and fifth in 3-pointers attempted (160), 3-point percentage (.369; min. 40 attempts), free throw percentage (.822; min. 40 attempts) and starts (30).
• She led all Big Ten freshmen in 3-pointers made per game (1.9); also led all B1G freshmen in conference games only in 3-point percentage (.367), 3's made per game (2.2) and minutes played per game (34.4).
• Against Bryant on Nov. 26, she scored 20 points and tied a career high with seven rebounds en route to being named B1G Freshman of the Week. Versus Iowa on Jan. 16, she had her first career double-double with 18 points and a career-high 10 rebounds then followed with 18 points at Purdue to earn her second B1G Freshman of the Week honor.
• Scalia had 15 games last season in double figures, seven contests with at least 15 points and three 20-point outings.
• With Powell and Scalia both earning spots on the Big Ten All-Freshman Team, it's the first time in program history that the Gophers have had multiple players named to the team in one season.
• In addition, Powell and Scalia each won Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors twice this season. It's the first time in program history that multiple Gophers have won multiple Freshman of the Week accolades in one season since the award was introduced in 2009-10. They are two of seven players in Gophers history with two or more Freshman of the Week accolades.
• With Powell averaging 12.1 points per game and Scalia at 10.8, the Gophers' duo combined for the third best scoring combination ever among Gopher freshmen. With records dating back to the 1977-78 season, only two other freshmen duos combined for more points in a season than Powell and Scalia: Lindsay Whalen (17.0) and Tanisha Gilbert (14.7) in 2000-01 and Linda Roberts (14.4) and Joan Kowalsky (11.2) in 1977-78. In fact, those are the only other times in team annals that two freshmen have each averaged double digits.
• The four freshmen that played last year (Powell (12.1), Scalia (10.8), Klarke Sconiers (2.5) and Barbora Tomancova (0.8)) combined for 26.2 points per game, the highest figure among Gopher freshmen in the last 13 years and fifth largest in program history.
• She became the first freshman ever in program history to lead the team in assists, the first freshman to lead in free throw percentage (min. 100 attempts) since Carol Ann Shudlick in 1990-91 and the first freshman to lead in free throws made since Ashley Ellis-Milan in 2006-07.
• Powell put up 19 points against Vermont on Nov. 10, the most by a non-starter at Minnesota since Nov. of 2017. She later posted a career-high 24 points at Wisconsin on Feb. 6, then went for 20 vs. Michigan on Feb. 10 and had 21 at Ohio State on Feb. 13, making her the the only Gopher freshman to score 20+ in three straight games in at least the last 25 seasons.
• Powell scored in double figures in 19 games last year, including 13 of the last 14 contests. She had four 20-point games, all of which have come in the last nine contests.
• Scalia played in all 31 games a year ago with 30 starts, averaging 10.8 points per game.
• Scalia ranked fourth all-time among Minnesota freshmen in 3-pointers made (59) and minutes per game (32.3), and fifth in 3-pointers attempted (160), 3-point percentage (.369; min. 40 attempts), free throw percentage (.822; min. 40 attempts) and starts (30).
• She led all Big Ten freshmen in 3-pointers made per game (1.9); also led all B1G freshmen in conference games only in 3-point percentage (.367), 3's made per game (2.2) and minutes played per game (34.4).
• Against Bryant on Nov. 26, she scored 20 points and tied a career high with seven rebounds en route to being named B1G Freshman of the Week. Versus Iowa on Jan. 16, she had her first career double-double with 18 points and a career-high 10 rebounds then followed with 18 points at Purdue to earn her second B1G Freshman of the Week honor.
• Scalia had 15 games last season in double figures, seven contests with at least 15 points and three 20-point outings.
• With Powell and Scalia both earning spots on the Big Ten All-Freshman Team, it's the first time in program history that the Gophers have had multiple players named to the team in one season.
• In addition, Powell and Scalia each won Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors twice this season. It's the first time in program history that multiple Gophers have won multiple Freshman of the Week accolades in one season since the award was introduced in 2009-10. They are two of seven players in Gophers history with two or more Freshman of the Week accolades.
• With Powell averaging 12.1 points per game and Scalia at 10.8, the Gophers' duo combined for the third best scoring combination ever among Gopher freshmen. With records dating back to the 1977-78 season, only two other freshmen duos combined for more points in a season than Powell and Scalia: Lindsay Whalen (17.0) and Tanisha Gilbert (14.7) in 2000-01 and Linda Roberts (14.4) and Joan Kowalsky (11.2) in 1977-78. In fact, those are the only other times in team annals that two freshmen have each averaged double digits.
• The four freshmen that played last year (Powell (12.1), Scalia (10.8), Klarke Sconiers (2.5) and Barbora Tomancova (0.8)) combined for 26.2 points per game, the highest figure among Gopher freshmen in the last 13 years and fifth largest in program history.
HUBBARD BECOMES 26TH MEMBER OF THE 1,000-POINT CLUB AT MINNESOTA
• Gadiva Hubbard was the only Gopher to start all 31games a year ago, averaging 11.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.7 steals while playing 32.3 minutes per game.
• Hubbard ranked fifth in the Big Ten last year in 3-pointers attempted (179), sixth in 3's made (63) and 3-point percentage (.352), eighth in 3's made per game (1.97) and 12th in steals per game (1.71).
• Hubbard was back on the court last year after missing all of the 2018-19 season following surgery on her right foot on Oct. 19, 2018.
• Hubbard scored a season-high 24 points against UC Davis (12/15) thanks to 4-of-7 shooting from 3-point range and 6-of-8 shooting at the free throw line. It was her best scoring outing since going for 25 points against Penn State in Feb. of 2018.
• She also enjoyed a 20 point-game against then-No. 19 Arizona State on Nov. 17, matched that with 20 points, including six 3-pointers, in a win at Notre Dame on Dec. 4 and tallied 20 points, her highest in league play, at Iowa on Feb. 27.
• With 10 points at Ohio State on Feb. 13, she became the 26th player in Gophers history to reach 1,000 points in her career. She did it in just 80 games, the 12th fewest needed to get to 1,000 points in team history. Hubbard currently has 1,072 points to rank 20th in team history.
• Before her injury, Hubbard played in 32 games with 31 starts in 2017-18, finishing third on the team in scoring at 13.6 points per game and second with 3.4 assists.
• Hubbard ranked fifth in the Big Ten last year in 3-pointers attempted (179), sixth in 3's made (63) and 3-point percentage (.352), eighth in 3's made per game (1.97) and 12th in steals per game (1.71).
• Hubbard was back on the court last year after missing all of the 2018-19 season following surgery on her right foot on Oct. 19, 2018.
• Hubbard scored a season-high 24 points against UC Davis (12/15) thanks to 4-of-7 shooting from 3-point range and 6-of-8 shooting at the free throw line. It was her best scoring outing since going for 25 points against Penn State in Feb. of 2018.
• She also enjoyed a 20 point-game against then-No. 19 Arizona State on Nov. 17, matched that with 20 points, including six 3-pointers, in a win at Notre Dame on Dec. 4 and tallied 20 points, her highest in league play, at Iowa on Feb. 27.
• With 10 points at Ohio State on Feb. 13, she became the 26th player in Gophers history to reach 1,000 points in her career. She did it in just 80 games, the 12th fewest needed to get to 1,000 points in team history. Hubbard currently has 1,072 points to rank 20th in team history.
• Before her injury, Hubbard played in 32 games with 31 starts in 2017-18, finishing third on the team in scoring at 13.6 points per game and second with 3.4 assists.
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