Gophers to Host Senior Day, Alumni Day, against Purdue

MINNEAPOLIS - The University of Minnesota (10-18, 3-14 B1G) concludes the regular season with Purdue (18-8, 9-7 B1G) at home at Williams Arena on Sunday, Feb. 26. The rematch with the Boilermakers will tip at 2 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 PURDUE GAME

Minnesota's matchup with Purdue is the 72nd in the all-time series between the two programs. Last time out Purdue got the best of the Gophers in West Lafayette, 75-56. In that game the Gophers got 15 rebounds from Alanna 'Rose' Micheaux while Mara Braun led the way in the scoring department with 15 points. Purdue hit 10 threes in the game and held Minnesota to just 27.5 percent from the floor.
Minnesota is 23-48 all-time against Purdue.
Minnesota's last win over the Boilermakers at Williams Arena was on Jan. 28, 2021, which was a 77-72 victory.
Purdue is 3-1 in their last four games and 7-3 in their past 10 contests. In that span the Boilermakers have lost to Indiana twice and at home against Nebraska.
Purdue enters Sunday's contest with a NET ranking of 42. Minnesota's highest NET win this season was Nebraska who was then No. 44 in the NET rankings.
Purdue was not selected in either the media or coaches preseason Big Ten polls.
Purdue's leading scorer this season is Lasha Petree, who is a transfer from Rutgers. Petree averages 14.6 points per game this season and is shooting 42.8 from the floor and 37.3 percent from beyond the arc.
The Boilermakers have three players who average double figures this season with Caitlyn Harper (11.0) and Abbey Ellisa (11.3) joining Petree. On the glass Purdue's leader is Jeanae Terry who averages 7.7 boards per game while also scoring 6.7 points and 6.6 assists per game. Her 6.9 assists per game is ranked No. 2 in the Big Ten.

GOPHER NOTABLES

Last time out the Maroon and Gold played their 11th game that was decided by six points or less with Michigan State taking out the Gophers 71-67 in East Lansing. Braun and Isabelle Gradwell both hit four threes in the game, with Minnesota hitting a season-high 11 threes, but could not pull off the road win and fell to 1-10 on the road this season. Alanna 'Rose' Micheaux was a rebound away from her 10th double double of the season with 15 points and nine rebounds while also tying her career high with three blocks in 33 minutes.
Minnesota's freshmen have garnered much attention this season and they have not disappointed. As a group (Min. 10 games played) the Gophers freshmen and redshirt freshmen average 43.8 points per game, the most in the NCAA among freshmen classes. The second most in the country this season is Texas Southern (41.4) and the next closest Power 5 program is UCLA (36.0) with UT Martin (33.3) in fourth.
For just the second time this season the Gophers bench scored 23 or more points in three straight games. Led by Gradwell's season-high 12 points the Gophers also got six from Katie Borowicz and five from Mi'Cole Cayton. The 23 points from the bench came on the heels of the reserves scoring 27 against Northwestern and 37 against Nebraska. 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 nine of her last 10 games. Braun has connected on at least one three in 10 straight games and has shot 43.5 percent (20-of-46) from beyond the arc in her last seven games while averaging 16.4 points per game.
Through 28 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 13.4 and is No. 1 during conference play at 12.8 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
1 - Mallory Heyer has grabbed at least one offensive rebound in 23 of 28 games this season.
10 - Mara Braun has hit at least one three in 10 straight games.
122 - Freshman guard Amaya Battle has 122 assists this season, a single-season record for freshmen at Minnesota.
11 - The Gophers have played in 11 games decided by six points or less this season.
22 - This season Minnesota has won the opening tip 22 times.

The University of Minnesota begins post season play at the 2023 Big Ten Tournament at Target Center in Minneapolis, on March 1. Opponent and the full bracket will be unveiled at the conclusion of all regular season contests.

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

Mi'Cole Cayton

Isabelle Gradwell

Sophie Hart

Mallory Heyer