Gophers Back in Action Against CSUN on Wednesday Night

MINNEAPOLIS - Game five of the Dawn Plitzuweit era continues on Wednesday, Nov. 22, when Minnesota (3-1, 0-0 B1G) hosts CSUN (2-2, 0-0 Big West) at Williams Arena. The game is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m., on B1G+ while Justin Gaard and Lynnette Sjoquist will broadcast the game on KFAN+.

GAME INFORMATION
TV/Stream: B1G+
Tip Time: 7:01 P.M.
Radio: KFAN+ 96.7 FM and the iHeartRadio app (Justin Gaard and Lynnette Sjoquist)
Promotions: Bring in 3 or more canned foods for any game in November and receive a discounted ticket.

ABOUT THE CSUN GAME

Minnesota's matchup with CSUN is the first between the two programs. The Maroon and Gold are 6-4 all-time against current members of the Big West Conference. The latest matchup with the Big West Conference for the Gophers was back in 2017 when the team took on UC Riverside, and won. Other members of the Big West that Minnesota has faced over the years include Cal Poly (2-0), Hawaii (1-2), Long Beach State (0-1), UC Davis (1-0) and UC Irvine (0-1).
CSUN (Cal State Northridge) is coming off back-to-back losses, the first loss being a road contest against Santa Clara (71-39) and the latest against Hope International (64-60) at home. CSUN's two wins this season have come against Utah State (79-64) in the season opener and then an overtime victory over Seattle University (81-72), both at home.
In four games this season CSUN has been offensively led by redshirt junior Erica Adams, a transfer from Pacific. Adams has averaged 15.0 points per game and has shot 48.0 percent from the floor, but has missed each of the last two games for the Matadors. In her absence freshman Amiyah Ferguson has stepped up and has scored an average of 11.0 points per game and leads the team with 18 assists (4.5 per game) off the bench.
Last season CSUN finished their season 7-24 and 6-14 in the Big West. The Matadors faced three Power 5 opponents in California, Stanford and Arizona. Their last meeting with a Big Ten team was against Michigan State in 2017 (L, 63-59). All-time CSUN is 1-6 against current Big Ten teams, with the team's lone victory coming against Penn State back in 2015 (81-73).

GOPHER NOTABLES

Minnesota is coming off its first loss of the season, a 62-44 defeat by the hands of No. 8/8 UConn (3-1, 0-0 BIG EAST). The Gophers held their own and were down just three at halftime (26-23) but a 21-6 quarter from the Huskies put the visitors in control at the Barn.
Minnesota and UConn played in front of 10,869 fans on Nov. 19, the 11th largest crowd for a women's basketball regular season game this season. It marked the 24th time in program history the Gophers have played in front of over 10,000 fans at Williams Arena.
The 'U' ran out to one of its fastest starts to the season against the Bison on Nov. 15, scoring the first nine points of the game to help the team never trail in the 22-point victory at home. In three games this season the Maroon and Gold have trailed just once, which was a 3-2 score in the first quarter against Chicago State. Minnesota has outscored its opponents in the first quarter by 46 points (15.3 avg) in the first three games and by 31 (10.3 avg) in the second quarter.
In four games this season the 'U' has committed the least amount of fouls per game in the Big Ten at a rate of 13.5 per contest, which is good enough for No. 24 in the NCAA. Minnesota also is No. 3 in the conference in turnover margin (6.5), which is 41st in the country and the team's 35.4 field goal percentage defense is No. 4 in the Big Ten this season.
Sophomore Mara Braun earned some well-deserved preseason recognition prior to the start of the 2023-24 season. The second-year Gopher was named to the watch list of the Cheryl Miller Award for the nation's top small forward as well as the Big Ten's 2023-24 Preseason All-Big Ten Team, as voted by the league's coaches. Braun was one of just two sophomores to be honored by the conference's coaches, joining Cotie McMahon of Ohio State.
Minnesota's Williams Arena has long been known for its elevated court, but the Golden Gophers have also been steadily successful on their home court over the years. The 'U' has never had a losing season at home at Williams Arena in any full season since the team started playing at the Barn during the 2001-02 season.

BY THE NUMBERS
16 - Mara Braun has connected on at least one three in 16 consecutive games dating back to last season.
11 - Minnesota's 10,869 fans against UConn had the 11th-most fans at a regular season game this season.
3 - Grace Grocholski is one of three Big Ten freshmen to have made two or more threes per game this season.
8 - This season the Gophers have seen eight different players score 10 or more points in a game.
22 - The 'U' has averaged 22.0 points per game off turnovers through the first four games.

Week three of the 2023-24 season continues with Stony Brook (4-0, 0-0 CAA) on Nov. 26, at 2 p.m. at Williams Arena. That game will be streamed on B1G+. The Stony Brook game will be the team's Superhero Day where fans are encouraged to wear their favorite superhero costumes.

Fans interested in buying season tickets for Gopher women's basketball this season can find more information at https://z.umn.edu/24sznTix or by calling the Minnesota Ticket Sales Office by phone at 1-800-U-GOPHER or by email at gophersports@umn.edu.

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 (X.com), Instagram (@GopherWBB) and on Facebook, so you do not miss any content during the 2023-24 season.

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Mara Braun

Grace Grocholski