Women's Hoops Headed to East Lansing for Final Road Test

MINNEAPOLIS - The University of Minnesota (10-17, 3-13 B1G) wraps up its road schedule with a matchup with the Spartans of Michigan State (13-13, 5-10 B1G) on Wednesday night in East Lansing, Mich. The game at the Breslin Center will tip at 6 p.m. CT on B1G+ and can be heard on the iHeartRadio app or on KFAN+ with Justin Gaard and Lynnette Sjoquist on the call.

ABOUT THE MICHIGAN STATE GAME

Minnesota's matchup with Michigan State is the 71st meeting between the two programs. Last year the two teams split their season matchups with both teams winning at home. The Gophers have not won in East Lansing since 2009 when the Gophers won 66-51.
Minnesota is 24-46 overall against the Spartans.
The Gophers last win in East Lansing was on Feb. 26, 2009. Since then the Gophers are 0-9 against Michigan State on the road.
The Spartans are coming off a 66-61 loss to Maryland at home on Feb. 18. Prior to that the squad had won two in a row over Wisconsin and Penn State.
The Spartans are 4-11 against common opponents this season with the Gophers.
Michigan State was not selected in either of the Big Ten's preseason polls.
Offensively the Spartans are led by Kamaria McDaniel, a transfer, at 13.7 points per game. She hits 34 percent of her shots from beyond the arc and is second on the team in assists (66) and is third on the team in blocks (12).
As a team the Spartans are No. 1 in the Big Ten in free throw attempts per game (21.2), offensive rebounds per game (13.8) and are No. 2 in turnovers forced per game (21.0), turnover margin (+6.2) and threes attempted per game (24.8).

GOPHER NOTABLES

Last time out the Maroon and Gold fell to the Wildcats of Northwestern on the road, dropping to 1-9 on the road this season. The Gophers, who committed 25 turnovers in the loss, lost 76-62 in Evanston with Mara Braun (12) and Katie Borowicz (11) leading the way offensively.
For just the second time this season the Gophers bench scored 27 or more points in two consecutive games in the loss against Northwestern. Minnesota's 27 bench points against the Wildcats came from Borowicz (11), Hammond (6), Oberg (4), Gradwell (3) and Cayton (3). The 27 points from the bench came on the heels of the reserves scoring a Big Ten season high 37 against Nebraska. Minnesota's longest streak of 27 or more bench points this season is three (vs. Lehigh, at NDSU and vs. Presbyterian). Minnesota's 37 bench points against Nebraska were the most against a Big Ten opponent since the team had 41 against Maryland on March 3, 2017.
Freshman Mara Braun has returned as a consistent scorer for the Gophers, scoring in double figures in eight of her last nine games. Braun has connected on at least one three in nine straight games and has shot 45.7 percent (16-of-35) from beyond the arc in her last six games while averaging 16.4 points per game.
Through 27 games Minnesota has proved to be the best all-around rebounding team in the Big Ten conference. The Gophers are No. 1 in rebounding in both conference games (41.1 per game) and overall this season (42.3 per game). The team is also No. 2 in the Big Ten in offensive rebounds per game overall this season at 13.6 and is No. 1 during conference play at 13.0 per game.
Lindsay Whalen announced on Jan. 6, the signing of center Sophie Hart to the Gophers' program. Hart is a 6-5 graduate of Farmington High School, who played two seasons at NC State, and will join Minnesota with two years of eligibility. Coming out of high school Hart was the No. 64 ranked overall recruit in the class of 2021 and the No. 5 ranked player at her position by ESPN.
Minnesota signee Dominika Paurová was called up to the Czech Republic Senior National Team for the countries EuroBasket Qualifiers last week. Paurová made her debut against Ireland and helped the team qualify for the tournament later this year.

BY THE NUMBERS
6 - Mallory Heyer has grabbed seven or more rebounds in six straight games.
9 - Mara Braun has hit at least one three in nine straight games.
118 - Freshman guard Amaya Battle has 118 assists this season, a single-season record for freshmen at Minnesota.
10 - The Gophers have played in 10 games decided by six points or less this season.
21 - This season Minnesota has won the opening tip 21 times.

The University of Minnesota returns home for Senior Day and Alumni Weekend on Feb. 26, when Purdue comes to WIlliams Arena. That game is scheduled for a 2 p.m. tip on B1G+ and KFAN+.

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 2022-23 season.

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Players Mentioned

Amaya Battle

Katie Borowicz

Mara Braun

Sophie Hart

Mallory Heyer