University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
2-0,0-0Big Ten
Chicago State
0-3,0-0DI Independent
Braun Reaches 500 Career Points in 100-42 Win Over Chicago State
11/12/2023 3:53:00 PM | Women's Basketball
MINNEAPOLIS, MN -- Sophomore Mara Braun became the third fastest Gopher to reach 500 career points on Sunday as the University of Minnesota dominated its way to a 100-42 win over Chicago State at Williams Arena.
The Golden Gophers (2-0) had five players score in double figures, led by Mara Braun, who had 25 points, four assists and four steals. Ayianna Johnson added 19 points and three steals off the bench and Janay Sanders chipped in as well with 12 points off the bench.
The Minnesota defense held Chicago State shooters to just 30.4 percent from the field, including 28.6 percent from three-point range. The 58-point victory for the Maroon and Gold is the third-largest in program history, and is the largest since 1981 when the team defeated Harvard by 59 (101-42).
Minnesota shared the ball well in Sunday's game, racking up 19 assists on 38 made field goals. Individually, Amaya Battle dished out the most for the Golden Gophers with seven assists.
How It Happened
After playing to a 5-5 tie early in the game, Minnesota went on a 9-0 run with 6:40 left in the first quarter, culminating in a bucket from Braun, to take a 14-5 lead. The Golden Gophers then added six points to that lead by the end of the period and entered the quarter break with a 24-9 advantage. Minnesota did most of its first quarter damage in the paint, scoring 12 of its 24 points close to the basket.
Minnesota built that first quarter lead to 34-18 before going on a 6-0 run starting at the 2:39 mark in the second period to increase its lead to 40-18. The Cougars cut into that lead, but the Golden Gophers still enjoyed a 43-22 advantage heading into halftime. Minnesota dominated in the paint, scoring 10 of its 19 points close to the basket.
Minnesota wasted no time building on its lead, going on a 14-0 run to expand its lead further to 57-22 with 6:34 to go in the third. Before the third period was over, the Golden Gophers added two points to that lead and entered the fourth quarter with a 68-31 edge. Minnesota took advantage of 10 Chicago State turnovers in the quarter, scoring 10 points off of takeaways.
Minnesota kept widening that lead, expanding it to 74-35 before going on a 12-0 run, finished off by Johnson's layup, to grow the lead to 86-35 with 4:05 to go in the contest. The Golden Gophers kept expanding the margin and coasted the rest of the way for the 100-42 win. Minnesota took advantage of its opportunities in the post, scoring 20 of its 32 points in the paint.
Game Notes
» Braun's 500 points in 31 games beat out the likes of Rachel Banham (32 games) and was just short of the program record 29 games by Lindsay Whalen.
» The 192 points through the first two games of the season for Minnesota is the most through two games since 2015.
» The Minnesota bench made an impact by adding 43 points to its scoring output.
» Ayianna Johnson and Janay Sanders came off the bench to score 19 and 12 points, respectively.
» The Golden Gophers turned 30 turnovers into 38 points on the offensive end.
» Minnesota had a 43-25 edge on the boards in the win.
» Minnesota cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 13 offensive boards in the game.
» Mara Braun has hit at least one three in 14 straight games dating back to the 2022-23 season.
