Gophers Headed to Iowa City for Matchup with No. 4/3 Iowa

MINNEAPOLIS - The University of Minnesota women's basketball team (11-1, 1-0 B1G) resumes conference play with a matchup with No. 4/3 Iowa (12-1, 1-0 B1G) on Dec. 30, at 1 p.m. The game is scheduled to be televised by Big Ten Network while Justin Gaard and Lynnette Sjoquist will broadcast the game on KFAN+.

GAME INFORMATION
TV/Stream: BTN
Tip Time: 1:00 P.M.
Radio: KFAN+ (96.7 FM) and the iHeartRadio app (Justin Gaard and Lynnette Sjoquist)
SIRIUSXM: Channel 158 or 196

ABOUT THE IOWA GAME

Minnesota and Iowa are clashing for the 86th time on Dec. 30, with the Hawkeyes owning a 58-27 advantage in the series. Last season Minnesota faced Iowa just once, with the then-16th ranked Hawkeyes winning in Iowa City 87-64.
Minnesota and Iowa are matching up in Iowa City for the 43rd time with Iowa holding a 33-8 advantage in games played at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The first ever meeting between Minnesota and Iowa was played in Iowa City on Dec. 6, 1974.
This season Iowa is 12-1 (1-0 B1G) and is currently on a nine-game winning streak, the longest active streak in the Big Ten. Iowa's lone Big Ten opponent this season was against Wisconsin on Dec. 10, which was an 87-65 win in Madison.
Iowa's 2023-24 roster is comprised of two fifth-year, one graduate, one senior, five juniors, three sophomores, and two freshmen. Four Hawkeyes are Iowa natives, four from Illinois, two from Michigan, and one each from Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Ohio.
Iowa's offense is paced by Caitlin Clark, who averages 30.5 points per game this season while shooting 48.7 percent from the floor and 39.2 percent from beyond the arc. Clark's closest teammate in the scoring column is Hannah Stuelke, a sophomore who averages 13.9 per contest while Kate Martin averages 12.0 per game this season while shooting 37.1 percent from deep. On the boards Iowa gets an average of 7.5 rebounds from Clark while Stuelke (7.0) and Sydney Affolter (6.6) also significantly contribute on the glass for the Hawkeyes.

GOPHER NOTABLES

Minnesota won its eighth straight on Dec. 21, winning by 55 against Lindenwood. The Gophers scored 100 points for the second time this season and scored over 90 for the fifth time. Mara Braun led all scorers with 21 in just 17 minutes of action while Maggie Czinano registered her first career double double with 12 points and 10 rebounds off the bench. Minnesota's bench tied its season high with 43 points with all 12 players who played in the game scoring points for the Maroon and Gold. The Gophers made 40 field goals in the victory, the first time since Nov. 26, 2019, against Bryant.
Minnesota's Mara Braun became the first Gopher in five seasons to register 20 or more points in five straight games when the sophomore scored 21 against Lindenwood. Braun has been on a tear in her past five games, scoring an average of 25.2 points per game while shooting 52.4 percent (22-of-42) from beyond the arc and 53.0 percent (44-of-83) from the floor. This season Braun is second in the Big Ten and No. 10 in the nation in win shares (2.7), an advanced statistic, provided by HerHoopStats.com, that approximates the total number of wins a player produces for their team through their play on the offensive and defensive end of the court.
The Gophers have made steady improvement in the turnover department this season committing just 10.5 in their last four games, down from 14.4 in their first eight games. Last season the Gophers were ranked 291st in the NCAA and 13th in the Big Ten in turnovers per game at 17.7 per game but through 12 games of the 2023-24 season are ranked 29th in the country and No. 4 in the Big Ten at 13.1. The team is also 25th in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio as a team at 1.36, which is No. 4 in the conference with the team's plus-6.6 turnover margin ranked No. 19 in the NCAA and No. 3 in the Big Ten.
Sophie Hart has been one of the hottest players on the Gophers in the past seven games scoring an average of 11.4 points and 5.6 rebounds per game, up from 8.4 points and 4.0 rebounds in her first five games. During the seven-game stretch Hart has shot 38-of-58 (65.5 percent) from the floor and has just one turnover in her last 137 minutes on the floor.
The Gophers have allowed their opponents to shoot just 48 percent around the rim (within 4.5 feet of the hoop) and give up the fewest paint PPG in the Big Ten at 22.5 points per game. The Division I average for field goal percentage around the rim is 57.1 percent.
Plitzuweit has led Minnesota to a 5-0 start in the month of December, a month that Plitzuweit has seen much success in her career. The first-year Gopher coach holds a career December record of 53-20 (72.6 winning percentage) and since 2016 Plitzuweit has a December record of 44-8 (84.6 winning percentage).

BY THE NUMBERS
32 - Minnesota's fourth quarter defense this season has allowed just 32.7 percent shooting from the field.
1 - Minnesota has had the same starting lineup of Battle, Braun, Grocholski, Heyer and Hart in all 12 games this season.
2 - Niamya Holloway is just one of two players since 2009 to average 2.2 steals per game while playing less than 14 minutes per game.
8 - Minnesota has out scored their opponents by nearly eight points per game in the first quarter this season (20.4-12.8).
81 - Minnesota wins 81.3 percent of their games (13-3) where Mara Braun has 20 or more points or Amaya Battle has three or fewer turnovers.

Minnesota will ring in the new year with a home matchup with Maryland on Jan. 3. The matchup at Williams Arena will be streamed on B1G+ with the tip set for 7 p.m. CT.

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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Players Mentioned

Amaya Battle

Mara Braun

Maggie Czinano

Sophie Hart

Niamya Holloway