University of Minnesota Athletics

Thursday, February 3
Bloomington, Ind.
6:00 PM

University of Minnesota

10-13,3-8Big Ten

70
at
80

Indiana

15-3,7-1Big Ten

1
2
3
4
F
Minnesota
21
16
17
16
70
Indiana
17
19
17
27
80
Indiana vs Minnesota
Photo by: Brad Rempel

Scalia's 26 Not Enough to Top No. 5/6 Indiana

2/3/2022 5:47:00 PM | Women's Basketball

MINNEAPOLIS – No. 5/6 Indiana (15-3, 9-1 B1G) ran away from Minnesota (10-13, 3-8 B1G) late on Thursday night in a tightly contested game at Assembly Hall, 80-70. Junior guard Sara Scalia dropped a 26-point performance in the loss that saw Indiana finish the game on a 14-0 run to come from behind and win. 

Scalia's 26 points came on a night that she shot 9-of-20 from the floor, highlighted by an impressive 7-of-12 from beyond the arc. The seven threes for Scalia marks the third time this season the Stillwater, Minn., native has hit seven or more this year. Also in double figures on Thursday was Minneapolis, Minn., native Laura Bagwell Katalinich, scoring 10 off the bench as well as hustling for a steal, an offensive rebound while also dishing out a pair of assists. 

Scalia showcased her shooting touch early and often during the Thursday matchup that featured limited fans due to a snow storm in the lower Midwest. Scalia hit back-to-back threes to put Minnesota up 8-7 early on while Bagwell Katalinich matched her back-to-back shots of her own to put Minnesota up 16-13. In the opening 10 minutes Scalia scored 11 points and had Minnesota shooting 57.1 percent from the floor and holding on to a 21-17 lead. 

In a game that was tied 12 different times and had the lead change 10 times, the second quarter had plenty of back-and-forth action between the Big Ten foes. Indiana scored the opening eight points of the quarter to hold a four-point lead but the Gophers responded. Gadiva Hubbard hit a three to keep the Gophers in it while Kayla Mershon hit a nifty post move down low to tie the game at 31. The difference in the end of the quarter came down to an and-one connection from Scalia that sent the Maroon and Gold to the locker room with a 37-36 lead. 

The third quarter saw the Gophers grow their lead to the largest of the game at six points. Indiana responded with a pair of shots to pull back within two, but a big-time step-back three from Scalia put the Gophers back in front by five. The remainder of the quarter was a back-and-forth affair with Indiana tying the game at 47 before Bagwell Katalinich hit three-straight shots for Minnesota to put Minnesota back in front and ahead 54-53 after 30 minutes at Assembly Hall. 

In a tense building in Bloomington, the Gophers and Hoosiers battled it out in the final 10 minutes with big-time shots coming from both sides early on. Alexia Smith hit two in the fourth, including a corner three to put Minnesota up five with 6:38 to go. Indiana responded by scoring 18 of the last 21 points to close out the victory. 

As a team the Gophers shot 26-58 (44.8 percent) from the floor while hitting 11-of-21 from beyond the arc. After a first half where each team grabbed 16 rebounds, the Hoosiers used a 18-11 advantage to win the rebounding battle 34-27. 

Next up for the Gophers is a rematch with Michigan State on Feb. 6, at 2 p.m. Michigan State edged Minnesota 74-71 earlier this season in East Lansing. The game, which can be streamed on B1G+, can be heard on KFAN+ with Justin Gaard and Lynnette Sjoquist. 

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.

GAME NOTES: Gadiva Hubbard passed Kiara Buford (2008-12) for the sixth-most minutes played in program history on Thursday night; the Gophers 11 threes pushed the team past the 2013-14 squad for the sixth-most threes made in a single season with 196; Sara Scalia moved into ninth on the all-time threes attempted list, passing Sari Noga (2010-14); Scalia's 13-straight double figures scoring effort ties her career high streak that she set in 2020-21. 

Team Stats

MINN
IND
FG%
.448
.509
3FG%
.524
.500
FT%
.700
.850
RB
27
34
TO
14
12
STL
8
5

Game Leaders

Pts
26
FGM
9
3FGM
7
FTM
1
Pts
10
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Pts
9
FGM
2
3FGM
1
FTM
4
Pts
8
FGM
3
3FGM
2
FTM
0

Players Mentioned

F
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
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