Gophers Host Huskers Wednesday Night

MINNEAPOLIS -- Minnesota (7-11, 6-10 Big Ten) plays its penultimate home game Wednesday when it hosts Nebraska (11-9, 9-8 B1G) at 6 p.m.

The contest against the Cornhuskers, which is the second of two scheduled matchups between the schools this year, will be streamed on Big Ten Network Plus and can be heard on the Gophers' radio home, 96.7 FM KFAN Plus.

THE OPENING TIP-OFF

• The teams met just over a month ago in Lincoln with the Gophers prevailing, 76-71. More information on that matchup and on the all-time series can be found below.

• Sara Scalia leads the Gophers with a scoring average of 14.9 points per game this season. After missing the first two games of the season due to injury, Scalia averaged 8.0 points over her first three contests and was shooting 23.5 percent from the floor (8-34) and 20 percent on 3-pointers (4-20). However, she has averaged 16.8 points over her last 11 contests while shooting 39.9 percent on field goals (61-153) and 36.6 percent on 3's (37-101). She missed the Jan. 10 contest with Penn State and the Feb. 20 game at Maryland but has scored at least 11 points in each of those 11 games, including a career-high 30 against Purdue on Jan. 28. It was the first 30-point game by the Gophers since Dec. of 2018.

• Scalia has made at least one 3-pointer in all 14 games she's played this year, including five games with at least four made and a career-best six vs. the Boilermakers on Jan. 28. She is currently fourth in the Big Ten and 21st nationally with 2.93 made 3's per game. Scalia is also fourth in the conference in 3-pointers made and attempted (41-121) and fifth in 3-point percentage (.339). Her career mark of .356 ranks 10th in program history.

• Jasmine Powell, who was injured in the second quarter at Maryland Saturday and did not return, is second on the Gophers with a scoring average of 14.5 points per game this season. She has scored at least 11 points in 17 of the past 20 contests dating to last year. In addition to her scoring prowess, which ranks 18th in the Big Ten, Powell is third in the conference and 21st nationally with her 5.4 assists per game. Powell is one of only 10 players in the country with her averages of at least 14.5 points and 5.4 assists this year. Other notable players in the group include Iowa's Caitlin Clark (26.9 points, 6.6 assists), UConn's Paige Bueckers (20.5, 5.9), Maryland's Ashley Owusu (19.4, 5.7) and Indiana's Grace Berger (15.3, 5.4).

• Kadi Sissoko is the team's top rebounder (6.7 per game), and she ranks fourth in the Big Ten in offensive rebounds per game (3.1) and 16th in rebounding average. Sissoko has recorded two double-doubles this season and has been close to adding to that total in three other games with 8 points and 9 rebounds at Nebraska (1/19), 15 points and 8 boards at Penn State (1/25) and 13 points with 9 rebounds at Ohio State (2/7). She's also recorded three 20-point games, including 20 against Wisconsin on Feb. 14. She has shot 26-of-46 (56.5 percent) on field goals over her last five contests. That has brought her season shooting average up from .379 to .417 as a result.

• The Gophers are 4-6 at home this season with wins over Eastern Illinois, Purdue, Illinois and Wisconsin, and they've won three of their past four there. Powell is the team's top scorer at Williams Arena with 16.8 points per game. Also averaging double figures for Minnesota at home are Scalia (16.4) and Sissoko (12.4). Klarke Sconiers is the team's top rebounder in Minneapolis with 5.7 boards per home contest.

FACING NEBRASKA

• Minnesota and Nebraska meet for the 26th time on Wednesday. The Huskers hold a 14-11 edge in the series, including a 9-6 lead since they joined the Big Ten prior to the 2011-12 season. Minnesota has won the last two meetings, however, including a win earlier this season in Lincoln on Jan. 19. The Gophers are looking for their first ever three-game win streak over the Huskers.

• In Minneapolis, the Gophers have won seven of the nine meetings between the schools, including three of the last four. Among teams its played at least eight times at home, the Gophers' .778 win percentage against the Huskers is tied for their highest against one team along with Iowa State.

• Nebraska has three Minnesotans on its roster: junior Sam Haiby from Moorhead (Moorhead HS) and two freshmen from Minneapolis Kendall Coley (St. Louis Park HS) and Annika Stewart (Wayzata HS).

• Minnesota junior Kayla Mershon spent her first two seasons at Nebraska. Mershon played in all 60 games with 15 starts for the Huskers, averaging 2.4 points and 2.8 rebounds in 14.6 minutes of action per contest while shooting 35.8 percent from the floor and 30.0 percent on 3-pointers.

• The Cornhuskers are 11-9 on the season (3-6 on the road) and 9-8 in the Big Ten. They entered the contest against the Gophers on Jan. 19 by winning four of their last five games including upsets of then-No. 16/15 Northwestern, then-No. 23/24 Michigan State and No. 15/15 Ohio State. However, the loss to Minnesota started a stretch where Nebraska lost five of its next seven games. They have since won consecutive games.

• Nebraska has three players averaging double figures with Haiby leading the way at 16.9 points per game. Isabelle Bourne is right behind her with a 14.4 scoring average, and is posting a team-best 8.2 rebounds per contest, while Kate Cain has her average at 10.6.

• Cain leads the Big Ten in both blocks (63; 5th nationally) and blocks per game (3.15; 7th), while Haiby is tops in the conference in both free throws made (98; 18th) and free throws attempted (123; 20th).

• As a team, the Huskers lead the conference and rank seventh in the country with 6.0 blocks per game, while they are also tops in the league and 13th in the country with 30.4 defensive rebounds per contest.

EARLIER THIS SEASON AGAINST THE CORNHUSKERS

• Minnesota held Nebraska to just 10 points in the fourth quarter as the Gophers earned a hard-fought, 76-71 win at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Jan. 19.

• Gadiva Hubbard led four Gophers in double figures with 18 points, 15 of which came in the second half and 12 in the fourth quarter alone. She also tallied a season-best seven rebounds, one off a career high.

• Hubbard was 5-9 on 3-pointers, leading a long-range attack for Minnesota that saw the team finish 15-32 on 3's. Sara Scalia was 4-10, while Jasmine Powell made three of eight shots as the Gophers made the fourth most 3-pointers in team history and the most in the Lindsay Whalen coaching era. The 32 attempts also tied for the most under Whalen, while the 46.9 percent shot in the game still stands as a season best.

• Powell finished with 15 points and five assists, while Scalia recorded 14 points and a career-high six assists. As a team, the Gophers had 18 assists on 24 made field goals and committed only seven turnovers, a season low and a figure that tied for the seventh fewest in program history.

• Also in double figures was Klarke Sconiers, who finished with 10 points. Kadi Sissoko nearly had a double-double with eight points and a team-high nine rebounds, including five offensive.

• Nebraska led by as many as 10 in the first half and was up by two entering the fourth quarter. The Huskers extended the lead to five, but Hubbard broke through with a 3-pointer to kickstart an 8-0 run.

• The Huskers evened the game back up at 68-68 with 1:10 to go, but Hubbard knocked down her third 3-pointer of the quarter to put the Gophers ahead for good with 49 seconds remaining. Hubbard's 12 points in the fourth are the most by a Gopher in any quarter this season, while Nebraska's 10 points remain as the fewest by an opponent in a fourth quarter this season.

• After shooting 53.1 percent in the first half, the Huskers were held to just 24.2 percent shooting in the second half, including 14.3 percent in the fourth quarter, missing 18 of 21 shots in the final quarter.

LAST TIME IN MINNEAPOLIS

• With its two Jasmines leading the way, Minnesota beat Nebraska, 67-61, in Minneapolis on Jan. 30, 2020.

• Jasmine Brunson and Jasmine Powell combined for 35 points, nine assists, nine steals and seven rebounds. Powell tallied 19 points, seven rebounds, four steals and three assists, while Brunson added 16 points, six assists and five steals.

• Taiye Bello recorded a double double with 13 points and 10 rebounds, including nine points and eight rebounds in the second half alone.

• Down 39-30 at halftime, the Gophers stormed out in the second half scoring the first 10 points. Nebraska countered with the next six to go back up 45-40, but Minnesota fought back to be down one at 48-47 entering the fourth.

• A layup from the Huskers' Kate Cain gave them a 55-49 lead with 8:24 to play, but it would be all Minnesota the rest of the way as the Gophers embarked on a 13-2 run to take control. Powell had six points during the stretch, while Brunson had four and Bello scored three.

• Leigha Brown's layup ended the Gopher run and made it 62-59 for Minnesota with 1:47 to play. Fittingly, on the next possession Brunson found Powell who knocked down the 3-pointer to push the lead to six. Nebraska did not get closer than four points.

RECAPPING THE GAME AT MARYLAND

• Minnesota was defeated by No. 9/10 Maryland Saturday afternoon, 94-62, in College Park, Md.

• Kadi Sissoko was the lone Gopher to reach double figures, scoring 16 points for her 12th game in double figures this year. Sissoko also posted a team-high seven rebounds, had two of the team's three blocks and tied Katie Borowicz for the team lead in assists (3).

• Minnesota played without the team's No. 2 scorer Sara Scalia, who missed the game with a non-COVID related illness, and then saw top scorer Jasmine Powell go down in the second quarter with a lower body injury. Powell, who finished with five points and two assists, did not return in the second half.

• With playing time up for grabs, Minnesota freshmen did what they could to make an impact. Caroline Strande had eight points (one off a career high), Borowicz tallied six points and three assists in less than 13 minutes of action, Grace Cumming tied a career high with five points and Alexia Smith had 36:24 of playing time, the second-most minutes of her career.

• A 3-pointer from Powell and jumper from Sissoko staked Minnesota to an early 5-0 lead, but Maryland answered with 18 of the next 20 points to take control of the contest. The Gophers only had 13 turnovers in the contest, but six came in the opening quarter and they led to eight points for the Terrapins. In total, Maryland had 23 points off Minnesota's giveaways.

• Leading 24-11 after the first quarter, Maryland scored the first seven points of the second quarter to push the lead to 20. A 7-2 run for Minnesota got the Gophers back within 15 at 35-20 with 5:15 to play in the second quarter but that would be as close as they would get the rest of the contest. Maryland led 49-25 at halftime.

• After being outscored 21-15 in the third quarter, Minnesota put up its highest scoring quarter of the game in the fourth with 22 points.

POWELL, GOPHERS IMPROVING FROM LONG RANGE

• Jasmine Powell has improved her 3-point shooting between the first two years of her career.

• As a freshman, Powell was 30-of-100 on 3-pointers, shooting 30 percent from long range and making 0.96 3-pointers per contest over 31 games. But this year in just 18 games, she's already 38-of-108 on 3's while shooting 35.2 percent and making 2.11 per game.

• This year Powell ranks sixth in the Big Ten in 3-pointers attempted and seventh in 3's made, 3's made per game and 3-point percentage.

• Powell has made at least two 3-pointers in 11 of 18 contests this year, including nine games with at least three made and three games of a career-high four made 3's. She's made at least three 3-pointers in seven of her last 13 outings.

• As a team, the Gophers have seen notable improvement in 3-pointers as of late. Through the first eight games, the team was shooting a combined 28.6 percent (57-199) from long range, but in the 10 games since they're shooting 36.3 percent (78-215).

• During the recent stretch, Powell is 18-48 (37.5 percent) on 3's, Sara Scalia is 30-83 (36.1) and Gadiva Hubbard is 9-26 (34.6). In fact, eight Gophers have attempted five or more 3's in the last nine games and all eight are shooting at least .333 in that span.

• The team ranks third in the Big Ten in 3-pointers attempted (414), fourth in 3-pointers made (135), fifth in 3's made per game (7.5) and seventh in percentage (.326).

SISSOKO THE BIG TEN'S MOST IMPROVED SCORER AND REBOUNDER

• Kadi Sissoko has recorded the biggest increases in both scoring and rebounding average in all of the Big Ten from her last season of competition to this year.

• As a freshman at Syracuse in 2018-19, Sissoko averaged 3.2 points per game. But this year, her scoring average stands at 12.9. That increase of 9.7 points per game is best in the Big Ten.

• Sissoko is also first among the most improved rebounders in the league as she has gone from 1.8 rebounds per game as a freshman to 6.7 this year.

GOPHERS EXCELLING AT THE LINE

• One of Minnesota's biggest strengths this year has been the team's performance at the free throw line. The Gophers are 230-307, good for a .749 percentage that ranks fourth in the Big Ten and 45th in the country. It's also currently the eighth best mark in program history.

• Minnesota has shot 80 percent or better from the free throw line in six games this season, including three of the last five contests: 13-16 (81.3 percent) against Wisconsin, 20-23 (87.0) against Illinois and 12-15 (80.0) at Ohio State. The team's best performance was a 13-14 mark versus Maryland on Jan. 14, a 92.9 percent effort.

• Minnesota has been particularly good late in contests, 78.0 percent on free throws in the fourth quarter and 77.8 percent in the fourth quarter and overtime combined this season.

• Ten Gophers have attempted at least five free throws this year and seven have percentages at 70 percent or higher. Sara Scalia leads the way at 93.8 percent (30-32), while Gadiva Hubbard is at 89.7 percent (26-29).

BIG TEN RANKINGS

• The Gophers have four players averaging double figures in Big Ten play with Sara Scalia leading the way at 14.9 points per game. Jasmine Powell is behind her at 13.6, while Kadi Sissoko is at 12.3 and Gadiva Hubbard is averaging 10.6 points per game. Sissoko also has a team-best 6.4 rebounds per contest in B1G play.

• In Big Ten play, the Gophers rank fourth in 3's made per game (7.69), fifth in free throw percentage (.753) and offensive rebounding rate (.319), sixth in offensive rebounds per game (12.00) and assists per game (15.06), and seventh in 3-point percentage (.330).

• Powell ranks fifth in assists per game (5.19), eighth in 3's made per game (2.06) and 13th in free throw percentage (.766).

• Scalia is fourth in 3's made per game (2.93), fifth in 3-point percentage (.339) and 20th in scoring.

• Sissoko sits seventh in offensive rebounds per game (2.75) and 18th in rebounding average.

• Klarke Sconiers ranks 11th in blocks per game (0.94).

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Players Mentioned

Taiye Bello

Katie Borowicz

Jasmine Brunson

Grace Cumming

Gadiva Hubbard

Kayla Mershon

Jasmine Powell

Sara Scalia

Klarke Sconiers

Kadi Sissoko

Alexia Smith

Caroline Strande