Roadrunners Come to Williams Arena for Sunday Showdown

MINNEAPOLIS - Minnesota (5-3, 0-0 B1G) has its eyes set on the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) (1-3, 0-0 C-USA) on Sunday afternoon, the second game of the team's four-game home stand. The game, which is set for a 2 p.m. tip, 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 third overall between the two programs with the both of the other meetings coming all the way back in the 1984-85 season, when the two teams met at neutral locations and the Gophers winning both matchups. The Gophers defeated the Roadrunners by scores of 86-72 and 60-57.
Against the current Conference USA (C-USA) the Golden Gophers are 5-6 all-time with the latest meeting against a member of the conference coming back in 2013 on Nov. 13, against Charlotte, a 90-55 win at home. Sunday's matchup for head coach Lindsay Whalen is her first against a C-USA opponent.
The Roadrunners have not played a game against a Power 5 opponent since Dec. 29, 2019, against Texas Tech, a game UTSA lost 115-58. UTSA's last win over a Power 5 opponent was on Dec. 20, 2010, against Kansas State, 72-55.
LaPraisjah Johnson, a graduate transfer from Nevada, is the UTSA's leading scorer at 13.3 points per game. She's nearly scored 13 points exactly in all four games this season with her 14 points in the team's win over Incarnate Word being her season high.

GOPHER NOTABLES

Most recently the Golden Gophers stopped Bradley (3-2, 0-0 MVC) in their tracks, holding the Braves, a 2021 NCAA Tournament team, to 31 percent from the floor in a 73-54 victory on Friday, Nov. 26. Sara Scalia led Minnesota with 19 points while Kadi Sissoko (12), Jasmine Powell (12) and Alanna Micheaux (10) all scored in double figures.
The Golden Gophers offense has been steadily improving since the start of the season. In the last five games the Gophers have shot 42.8 percent from the floor, nearly 10 percent better than their opening three games of the season when the Gophers shot just 34.2 percent from the floor in games against Jacksonville, Arizona State and George Washington. In that span, the Gophers have improved from three, shooting 40.5 percent as opposed to 30.1 percent in the team's first three contests.
Currently Minnesota has averaged the third-most made threes per game in the Big Ten at 8.4, good enough for the 43rd best mark in the NCAA. In total Minnesota has the third most made threes in the country at 67 and the fourth-most attempted at 184. In other team statistical rankings, the Gophers are 1st in total rebounds at 314, 15th in total blocks at 34 and 16th in total assists at 104.
Minnesota has made eight or more threes as a team in five straight games with the 11 against No. 2/2 UConn the most during that stretch. In that five-game stretch Sara Scalia has the most individual threes with 15 including five against No. 2/2 UConn and Syracuse.
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
2 - Gadiva Hubbard needs just two points to pass Ashley Ellis-Milan (2006-10) for the 16th most in program history.
5 - In Minnesota's five wins this season junior guard Jasmine Powell has averaged 11.2 points per game, has shot 20-of-55 (36.3 percent) from the floor and averaged 6.6 assists and 4.6 rebounds per game.
8 - The Golden Gophers are on the only team in the NCAA to have played eight games through Friday, Nov. 26.
0 - Zero players in the NCAA have played more total minutes this season than Sara Scalia at 263:39 while Jasmine Powell has played the 10th most minutes in the NCAA at 225:11.
14 - Gadiva Hubbard needs just 14 threes to pass Shannon Schonrock (2002-06) for the 3rd most threes made 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 Dec. 1, against the University of North Carolina (6-0, 0-0 ACC) at Williams Arena. The game is set for 8 p.m. will be the first time the Gophers can be seen on the Big Ten Network as a part of the 2021 B1G/ACC Challenge.

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

Alanna Micheaux

Jasmine Powell

Sara Scalia

Kadi Sissoko