First Road Test at Kentucky Awaits Gophers

MINNEAPOLIS - The University of Minnesota women's basketball team (7-1, 0-0 B1G) is headed to Lexington, Ky., to take on the Kentucky Wildcats (4-5, 0-0 SEC) in its first road contest of the 2023-24 season. The game at Rupp Arena is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. CT, and will be streamed on SEC Network+ while Justin Gaard and Lynnette Sjoquist will broadcast the game on KFAN+.

GAME INFORMATION
TV/Stream: SEC Network+
Tip Time: 6:00 P.M.
Radio: KFAN+ 96.7 FM and the iHeartRadio app (Justin Gaard and Lynnette Sjoquist)

ABOUT THE KENTUCKY GAME

Minnesota and Kentucky have met just twice with the Wildcats and Gophers splitting those two meetings with the latest coming in 2022 at Williams Arena. Kentucky won the latest matchup 80-74 with Minnesota's lone victory coming back in 2007 in Minneapolis by a score of 92-80.
This season Kentucky is 4-5 overall but has picked up back-to-back narrow victories over Boston College (83-81) and Tennessee Tech (73-67). Prior to the pair of recent wins the Wildcats had lost five games in a row including a home loss to Austin Peay, 68-63.
Senior forward Ajae Petty has been the team's top scorer at 15.4 while also averaging 9.8 rebounds per contest. Kentucky also gets double figure scoring from Maddie Scherr and Eniya Russell at 14.0 and 10.1, respectively. The Wildcats roster is composed of five Kentucky natives with Scherr being the top contributor of that group. Sophomore Amiya Jenkins is also a notable Kentucky native that contributes 8.6 points per game and 4.3 rebounds.
Last season Kentucky finished 12-19 overall and were 2-14 in the SEC. The team started 7-1, including its victory over the Maroon and Gold on Dec. 7, but finished the season just 5-18 with its only conference wins being against Florida and Missouri. The Wildcats only home conference victory last season was against Missouri, at Memorial Coliseum.

GOPHER NOTABLES

Minnesota won its fourth straight on Dec. 2, defeating the defending Missouri Valley Conference champions, Drake, in double overtime 94-88 at Williams Arena. In the victory, the Gophers erased an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit with 7:50 to go, and a five-point deficit with 40 seconds to go. All of Minnesota's starters scored in double figures with Mara Braun leading the way with her second career 30-point game, scoring 14 of her 33 in the two overtime periods, including all nine of the Gophers' points in the first overtime.
For the first time this season freshman Grace Grocholski was honored by the Big Ten Conference as the Freshman of the Week, aiding in Minnesota's victories over two teams that participated in the 2023 NCAA Tournament. Grocholski averaged 19 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists in the two wins while shooting 50 percent from the floor. Her 26 points against Norfolk State were the most points scored in a single game this season by a freshman in the league. Through Dec. 4, Grocholski is second among Big Ten freshmen in points per game (11.0), first in rebounds per game (5.4) and is tied for first in assists per game (2.9).
Minnesota's defense has been outstanding this season, with the team's 53.8 points per game allowed leading the Big Ten and good enough for 35th in the NCAA. This season the 'U' allows teams to shoot just 35 percent from the floor, which is No. 2 in the conference and is 43rd in the NCAA while committing just 11.9 fouls per game, which is No. 1 in the league and No. 5 in the country through Dec. 3. The 'U' has forced 20.9 turnovers per game, good enough for 39th in the NCAA and No. 3 in the Big Ten Conference.
Mara Braun made history against Drake, making her 34th consecutive free throw in the victory to set a new program record. The sophomore has started the season 27-for-27 from the charity stripe with her streak dating back to last season. Braun is one of five players in the country who hasn't missed a free throw this season with her ongoing streak being No. 8 in Big Ten history and is the longest streak in the conference since 2018.
Sophie Hart has been one of the hottest players on the Gophers in the last four games with the junior center posting back-to-back career highs in wins over CSUN (13) and Stony Brook (17) followed by another double figures performance (11) against Norfolk State and Drake (12). After a perfect 6-of-6 from the field against CSUN, Hart made each of her first six shots against the Seawolves to extend her consecutive makes to 13 before she missed her first shot in the third quarter. During the four-game stretch Hart has shot 24-of-36 (66.7 percent) from the floor and has swatted six shots, highlighted by her career high three against Stony Brook.
According to HerHoopsStats, Holloway is the only player in the NCAA this season to average 2.4 steals per game while playing less than 15 minutes per game. She's also just one of three players since 2009 to average 2.4 steals per game while playing less than 15 minutes per game.

BY THE NUMBERS
7 - Mallory Heyer picked up her seventh career double double, and second this season, in the 2OT win over Drake.
10 - Minnesota is 5-0 this season when Sophie Hart scores 10 or more points.
8 - Minnesota has gone eight straight games with equal or less turnovers as a team than their opponents.
47 - So far this season Amaya Battle has improved her field goal percentage from 39 percent in 2022-23 to 47.0 percent in 2023-24.
36 - The 'U' has averaged 36.3 points per game in the paint through the first eight games.

The sixth week of the 2023-24 season continues with Minnesota's Big Ten opener against Purdue (5-3, 0-0 B1G) on Dec. 10, at 1 p.m. The game with the Boilermakers will be broadcast on B1G+ and mark the third team in four games the Gophers will face that made the 2023 NCAA Tournament.

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.

Upcoming Events

Players Mentioned

Amaya Battle

Mara Braun

Grace Grocholski

Sophie Hart

Mallory Heyer