Gophers Travel to Carver-Hawkeye for Matchup with No. 16/13 Iowa

MINNEAPOLIS - The University of Minnesota (5-4, 1-0 B1G) will travel to Iowa City to take on the Iowa Hawkeyes (7-3, 1-0 B1G) on Saturday night at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on the Big Ten Network. The game can be heard on KFAN+ or on the iHeartRadio app with Justin Gaard and Lynnette Sjoquist on the call.

ABOUT THE IOWA GAME

Saturday's matchup is the first at home for the Hawkeyes. Iowa is 1-0 in Big Ten play; the Hawkeyes defeated Wisconsin on the road in their Big Ten opener 102-71.
Iowa comes into Saturday's game winners of their last two, including a 70-57 win over No. 10 Iowa State on Dec. 7 at home.
The Hawkeyes were selected to win the Big Ten by both the Coaches and Media Poll in the preseason.
Iowa's junior Caitlin Clark was selected as the Preseason Big Ten Player of the Year by both the Coaches and the Media. This season Clark averages 27.3 points per game, 7.2 rebounds per game and 7.0 assist per game.
Iowa's Monika Czinano is sisters with Minnesota's Maggie Czinano. Monika is the elder of the two, and has started all 10 games this season averaging 16.2 points per game, 7.6 rebounds per game and shoots 64.1 percent from the floor.
The Hawkeyes this season as a team ranks No. 7 nationally in scoring offense (87.2) and is No. 9 in field goal percentage (49.6 percent). The team is No. 1 in the Big Ten in threes made per game at 8.9 and is No. 1 in the conference in free throws made and free throws attempted.
Iowa has won six consecutive against the Maroon and Gold with the last win for the Gophers coming in the 2017-18 season in a 90-89 game at the Big Ten Tournament. The last time Minnesota defeated Iowa at Carver-Hawkeye Arena was on Jan. 25, 2007, in a 80-78 overtime win. Current assistant coach Kelly Curry (formally Roysland) played in that game 16 seasons ago and had 10 points. Emily Fox led the Gophers in scoring that night with 30 points.

GOPHER NOTABLES

Last time out the Maroon and Gold fell to the Kentucky Wildcats at home 80-74 in a tight contest. The Gophers and Wildcats were within nine points throughout all 40 minutes of action, with Minnesota's latest fourth-quarter comeback falling short. Mallory Heyer led the comeback effort with 11 of her 17 points coming in the fourth quarter. Alanna 'Rose' Micheaux added 17 of her own, along with nine rebounds, while Mara Braun scored 14 and had eight assists in the Gophers' second home loss of the season.
Despite the loss to Kentucky, Katie Borowicz flexed her defensive muscles with her fourth five-steal performance of the season. Borowicz is one of just two players in the Big Ten with four games with five or more steals joining Jacy Shelton of Ohio State. In her latest 5-steal game Borowicz also scored 16 points and had five assists while hitting 3-of-6 from beyond the arc to improve her season 3FG% to a team-high 42.1 percent (16-of-38).
Minnesota's current starting lineup of Braun, Battle, Heyer, Katie Borowicz and Alanna 'Rose' Micheaux, is an average age of 19 years and 4 months. The group consists of three true freshmen, one redshirt sophomore and one sophomore with the group's first three games against Power 5 opponents. Minnesota is the only Big Ten team to start four freshmen in a game this season (Wisconsin is the only other team to start three).
Braun in her last three games has averaged 22.3 ppg, 4.7 ast, 3.0 reb, 2.3 stl and has shot 47.7 percent from the floor, 44.4 percent from beyond the arc and a perfect 17-of-17 from the free throw line. Braun this season has also scored three of the top 10 freshmen scoring marks (34, 27 & 26) in program history since 2000.
Despite a tough night on the boards against Kentucky the Gophers still average 43.1 per game as a team which is No. 2 in the conference and No. 35 in the nation. The team has been one of the best on the offensive glass at 13.9 per game, No. 3 in the Big Ten. Minnesota's perimeter defense has also been solid, ranked No. 4 in the Big Ten at 30.1 percent.
Chaska, Minn., native, Mallory Heyer is the No. 1 rebounding freshman in the Big Ten this season at 6.2 per game, and is also the No. 1 freshman in offensive rebounds per game at 2.3 per game.
Minnesota head coach Lindsay Whalen has announced the addition of five student-athletes on Nov. 16, that have signed National Letters of Intent or an Acceptance of Admission to join the Minnesota women's basketball program for the 2023-24 season. Signing NLIs with the Golden Gophers are Kennedy Klick, MyKynnlie Dalan, Ajok Madol and Dominika Paurová while Brynn Senden signed an Acceptance of Admission.

BY THE NUMBERS
6 - Six of Minnesota's nine games this season have been decided by six points or less.
65 - So far this season 65.2 percent of Minnesota's points have been scored by true or redshirt freshmen.
1 - True freshman Amaya Battle leads all Big Ten freshmen in assists per game at 5.1.
8 - Mara Braun has made at least one 3-pointer in every game she has played in this season.
4 - Minnesota's matchup with Iowa is the fourth straight Power 5 opponent for the Golden Gophers.

The University of Minnesota will have just two days to prepare for Chicago State back at Williams Arena on Dec. 12. That game can be seen on B1G+ at 7 p.m. and can be heard on KFAN+ and on the iHeartRadio app.

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 2022-23 season.

Upcoming Events

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Amaya Battle

Katie Borowicz

Mara Braun

Maggie Czinano

Mallory Heyer