Gophers Host Ohio, MAC Preseason Favorite, on Wednesday Night

MINNEAPOLIS - Minnesota (6-6, 0-2 B1G) returns home to host Ohio (4-2, 0-0 MAC) in the team's penultimate non-conference game. The Dec. 15 matchup, which is set for a 7 p.m. start, will be available on B1G+ and can be found on KFAN+ with Justin Gaard and Lynnette Sjoquist on the call.

ABOUT THIS GAME

Wednesday's meeting with Ohio is the fourth all time between the Gophers and the Bobcats. It's the third time the two have met at Williams Arena with the last meeting coming back in 2012 in Minneapolis, at the Subway Classic. The Gophers won that meeting 85-40 with former Gopher and current WNBA player Rachel Banham, a sophomore at the time, scoring 18 points in the victory.
The Bobcats (4-2, 0-0 MAC) come into Williams Arena on Wednesday night winners of four straight games with their most recent win over Richmond at home 98-89. Ohio has not lost since Nov. 13 on the road against Liberty.
As a team, Ohio was picked to win the regular season Mid-American Conference title, picking up 132 total votes and four first-place votes. The Bobcats also had Cece Hooks and Erica Johnson picked to the preseason All-MAC First Team.
Individually the Bobcats are the only team in the NCAA this season to have two scorers average over 20 points per game with Cierra Hooks (21.2) and Erica Johnson (20.2) both having stellar starts to their senior seasons. Johnson also helped the team move the ball offensively with an average assist per game clip of 5.3 this season, the No. 1 mark in the MAC conference and 32nd in the country.
Minnesota is looking to remain perfect against Ohio with the Maroon and Gold holding a perfect 3-0 record against their MAC foe.

GOPHER NOTABLES

This season Minnesota has averaged the fourth-most made threes per game in the Big Ten at 8.0, good enough for the 48th best mark in the NCAA. In total Minnesota has the 12th most made threes in the country at 96 and the 15th-most attempted at 272.
After missing the Nebraska game with a lower leg injury junior guard Jasmine Powell returned in a big way against No. 13/11 Michigan in her home state with 19 points and eight rebounds. In her last six games Powell has improved much of her game, shooting 37.8 percent from the floor compared to 30.5 in her first five games of the season. She's averaged 6.3 assists per game to 4.6 in her first five. Her scoring average has bumped up from 11.4 per game to 14.2 per game and she's nearly averaged a block a game with five in her last six contests. Individually this season Powell is ranked No. 1 in the Big Ten in total assists at 61 and is third in average this season at 5.5.
Redshirt junior forward Kadi Sissoko has played some of her best basketball at home inside Williams Arena. The Paris, France, native, averages 12.0 points per game and nearly six rebounds per game while shooting 47 percent from the floor at home. In her most recent performance at home, Sissoko dropped a career high of 25 points while making a team season-high of 10 field goals from the floor.
In 12 games this season the Gophers have used five different starting lineups with the addition of freshman Alanna 'Rose' Micheaux the latest addition to the starting lineup on Dec. 12. The Wayne, Mich., native, started her first career game against No. 13/11 Michigan, finishing with eight points on a 4-of-6 shooting from the floor.
Junior guard Sara Scalia has proven this season that when she is on, she can be one of the most dangerous scorers in the Big Ten. The Stillwater, Minn., native, has scored eight or more points in a single quarter seven times this season highlighted by her 14-point second quarter in the season opener against Jacksonville. Scalia's favorite quarter this season has been the second, a quarter she has scored eight or more points in four different times this season including 12 against No. 2/2 UConn.
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
7 - Graduate transfer guard Deja Winters is just seven points away from 1,000 career points.
2 - Sara Scalia needs just two threes to get into the program top 10 in career threes made. She is currently one behind Shannon Loeblein (1991-95) for the 10th most at Minnesota.
114 - Gadiva Hubbard has played in 114 games in her Golden Gopher career and is approaching the top 10 in the Minnesota record books and could reach as high as No. 2 which is held by Carlie Wagner (2014-18) and Linda Roberts (1978-81) at 129.
31.6 - In six wins this season, four of them at home, the Gophers have held their opponents to 31.6 percent shooting from the floor.
3 - Gadiva Hubbard needs just seven threes to pass Shannon Schonrock (2002-06) for the 3rd most threes made in program history.
2 - Sara Scalia has scored 11 or more points three times in the second quarter this season with 14 against Jacksonville (11/9), 12 against No. 2/2 UConn (11/20) and 11 against Bradley (11/26).

Minnesota's final non-conference game will be on Dec. 23, on the road against Drake (7-2, 0-0 MVC) in Des Moines, Iowa. The game is set for 2 p.m. and will be shown on ESPN+.

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

Gadiva Hubbard

Jasmine Powell

Sara Scalia

Kadi Sissoko

Deja Winters