Gophers Return Home for Matchup with Bradley on Friday Afternoon

MINNEAPOLIS - Minnesota (4-3, 0-0 B1G) takes on Bradley (3-1, 0-0 MVC) on Friday afternoon at Williams Arena. The game, which is set for a 3 p.m. tip in Minneapolis, can be streamed on B1G. Fans can also find the game on KFAN+ with Justin Gaard and Lynnette Sjoquist.

ABOUT THIS GAME

Sunday's matchup is the sixth overall between the two programs with the last meeting coming back in 2012 when the Gophers took out the Braves 85-59 at Williams Arena. The first meeting between the teams came back in December of 1989 when the Gophers won 77-69. Minnesota owns a 2-0 record at home against the Braves and are 1-2 against the Braves on the road.
Against the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) the Golden Gophers are 27-15 all-time with the latest meeting against a member of the conference coming last season against Drake, a loss at home. Head coach Lindsay Whalen is 0-2 against the MVC with games against Drake (2020-21) and Missouri State (2019-20).
Friday's game at Minnesota will serve as a homecoming for three Bradley student-athletes: Tete Danso, So., F., Inver Grove Heights (Simley HS), Gabi Haack, 5Sr., G, Elk River (Elk River HS) and Sierra Morrow, Jr., F, Minneapolis, MN (Edison HS).
The Braves have one victory over the Big Ten this season already, earning a 64-57 victory over Wisconsin on Nov. 19.

GOPHER NOTABLES

Most recently the Golden Gophers took on the Sooners of Oklahoma in the team's finale at the Battle 4 Atlantis. Minnesota's third game in three days started off slow with the Gophers falling behind by as much as 24 before battling back to a 5-point deficit in the third quarter before Oklahoma's 28-point fourth quarter put the Maroon and Gold away.
After five games consistently producing on the offensive end, graduate transfer Deja Winters moved into the starting lineup for the first time this season against Syracuse (11/21/21). Winters used the opportunity to drop 16 points on 5-of-10 shooting while hitting four triples. Winters went on to lead the Gophers on the offensive end at the Battle 4 Atlantis, scoring at a clip of 15.6 points per game while shooting 10-of-21 from three and posting an average of 2 steals and 1.3 blocks per game in the Bahamas.
The Golden Gophers may have found some offensive momentum in the Bahamas. Despite going 1-2 in one of the toughest mid-season tournaments in the nation the Gophers shot 40 percent (66-of-165) from the floor in their three games, notably better than the team's 37.2 percent (92-of-247) from the floor in the team's first four games of the season.
Minnesota enters the fourth week of the regular season with the third most total rebounds in the nation this year with 269, which is the most in the Big Ten this season. Kadi Sissoko leads the team with a, currently, career high 7.1 rebounds per game this season. Sissoko's 13 rebounds against Syracuse (11/21/21) was the first time in 15 games an individual had 10 or more rebounds in a game with the last being Klarke Sconiers (1/31/21 vs. Iowa).
Laura Bagwell Katalinich returned from a hip injury after missing the first three games of the season. In limited minutes the graduate student finished a perfect 4-for-4 from the floor against American on Nov. 17, hitting timely shots and grabbing timely rebounds in the win highlighted by a buzzer-beating jumper at the end of the third quarter.
Minnesota recently announced its 2022 signing class on National Signing Day with head coach Lindsay Whalen welcoming in the No. 4 ranked recruiting class in the nation according to Jr. All Stars. Minnesota's four signees include Mara Braun (Wayzata, Minn.), Amaya Battle (Hopkins, Minn.), Mallory Heyer (Chaska, Minn.) and Niamya Holloway (Eden Prairie, Minn.).

BY THE NUMBERS
1 - Gadiva Hubbard needs just six more threes to pass Destine Pitts (2017-20) and Lindsay Lieser (1999-03) for the fourth-most threes in program history.
4 - In Minnesota's four wins this season junior guard Jasmine Powell has averaged 11.0 points, 6.5 assists and 5.0 rebounds per game versus 12.6 points, 3.6 assists and 3.3 rebounds in three losses.
10 - Sara Scalia hit 10 threes in the first women's Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament, including back-to-back games where she hit five threes in each game.
0 - The Maroon and Gold have zero losses this season when leading after the opening quarter. Minnesota holds a perfect 4-0 record when leading after the opening 10 minutes and are 39-10 under head coach Lindsay Whalen when leading after the opening period.
7 - Gadiva Hubbard needs just seven points to pass Ashley Ellis-Milan (2006-10) for the 16th most points in program history.
6 - Six members of the 2021-22 Minnesota roster hail from the Land of 10,000 Lakes with newcomers Bailey Helgren (Edina, Minn.) and Maggie Czinano (Watertown, Minn.) adding to that total this season.

The 51st season of Golden Gopher women's basketball continues on Nov. 28, against the University of Texas-San Antonio (1-3, 0-0 C-USA). The game is set for 2 p.m. and can be streamed on B1G+.

For more information on the Gophers, continue to check back with GopherSports.com. Keep up with the University of Minnesota women's basketball on Twitter and Instagram (@GopherWBB) and on Facebook, so you do not miss any content during the 2021-22 season.

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Players Mentioned

Laura Bagwell Katalinich

Maggie Czinano

Bailey Helgren

Gadiva Hubbard

Jasmine Powell

Sara Scalia

Klarke Sconiers

Kadi Sissoko

Deja Winters