Rematch with Illinois Slated for Sunday Afternoon in Champaign

MINNEAPOLIS - The University of Minnesota (9-13, 2-9 B1G) is taking on RV/24 Illinois (17-6, 7-5 B1G) for the second time this season on Sunday afternoon in Champaign, Ill., at the State Farm Center. The game is set for a 2 p.m. tip and will be available to watch on B1G+ and can be heard on the iHeartRadio app or on KFAN+ with Justin Gaard and Lynnette Sjoquist on the call.

ABOUT THE ILLINOIS GAME

Minnesota's matchup with Illinois is the second this season with the first matchup ending in a win for the Fighting Illini on Jan. 15, in Minneapolis. That game, a 70-57 victory for Illinois, saw Alanna 'Rose' Micheaux register a 24-point 14-rebound double double while Amaya Battle added an 11-point 7-rebound, 6-assist evening at Williams Arena. The Gophers shot 37.1 percent from the floor while making just 3-of-16 from beyond the arc while Illinois shot 38.8 percent, but hit 8-of-22 from three and turned the ball over just seven times.
Minnesota is 31-40 all-time against Illinois.
Minnesota's last win in Champaign was on Feb. 25, 2018, in a 84-75 victory.
Illinois is 4-4 in its last eight games with losses to Michigan, Purdue, Indiana and Ohio State.
Illinois is 3-5 against common opponents with the Gophers.
Illinois was not selected in either the media or coaches preseason Big Ten polls.
The Fighting Illini are led offensively by four different players who all average over 10 points per game this season. Makira Cook is the leader at 17.6 while first-year Illini Genesis Bryant scores at a 15.5 per game clip while shooting 44.8 percent from beyond the arc. Minnesota native Adalia McKenzie averages 14.1 while Kendall Bostic, who leads the Big Ten in rebounding at 10.1 per game, also scores 10.6 per game this season.
As a team Illinois is the best 3-point shooting team in the conference at 37.9 percent, which is good enough for ninth best in the country. Illinois is also near the top of the conference in rebound margin (+7.5, 1st), 3-point defense (28.8 percent, 2nd) and turnovers per game (13.4, 2nd).

GOPHER NOTABLES

Last time out the Maroon and Gold was defeated by No. 4/5 Indiana (21-1, 11-1 B1G) 77-54. Freshman Mallory Heyer led the way with 16 points and eight rebounds while Alanna 'Rose' Micheaux registered her eighth double double of the season with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Heyer scored 14 of her 16 points in the second half, shooting 5-of-7 in the final 20 minutes of action. For Micheaux, she got to the line eight times in the second half, connected on six of them, to score 10 in the second half while grabbing eight of her 11 rebounds. Also playing well for the Gophers was freshman Mara Braun who scored 13 points, shooting 3-of-6 from beyond the arc while adding a pair of steals.
Alanna 'Rose' Micheaux continued to show why she is one of the most consistent players in the Big Ten against the Hoosiers. The sophomore scored in double figures for the 11th time in 12 games and has continued to rebound at a high level, with her total up to 3.5 offensive rebounds per game which is the No. 1 mark in the Big Ten this season. On the boards in her last seven games Micheaux has averaged 11.4 and 5.0 offensive rebounds per game, all against Big Ten opponents.
Through 22 games Minnesota has proved to be the best all-around rebounding team in the Big Ten conference. The Gophers are No. 1 in total rebounds in both conference games (41.1 per game) and overall this season (42.7 per game). The team is also No. 2 in offensive rebounds per game overall this season at 14.0 and is No. 1 during conference play at 13.5 per game.
Mallory Heyer has posted four double doubles this season as a freshman - the most for Minnesota since Destiny Pitts had six during her freshman campaign in 2017-18. She's also been steady for the Gophers in the past eight games with an average of 12.9 points per game and 8.1 rebounds per game.
Against ranked opponents two Gophers have stood above the rest. Micheaux has averaged 15.5 ppg and 7.8 rebounds while shooting 50.6 percent. Freshman forward Mallory Heyer has also been solid in ranked games with an average clip of 10.7 points per game while also grabbing 7.3 rebounds per contest.
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 head coach Lindsay Whalen announced the addition of five student-athletes on Nov. 16, who have signed National Letters of Intent or an Acceptance of Admission to join the Minnesota women's basketball program for the 2023-24 season. Signing NLIs with the Golden Gophers are Kennedy Klick, MyKynnlie Dalan, Ajok Madol and Dominika Paurová while Brynn Senden signed an Acceptance of Admission.

BY THE NUMBERS
9.5 - Alanna 'Rose' Micheaux has improved her points per game average by 9.5 from last season (4.7 to 14.2).
66.7 - Minnesota wins 66.7 percent of its games when leading after the first quarter compared to just 10 percent when trailing after the opening quarter.
92 - Freshman guard Amaya Battle is at 92 assists this season and is just 14 assists away from the freshman single-season record.
1 - Mallory Heyer is the No. 1 rebounding freshman in the Big Ten this season at 6.8 per game.
61 - This season Minnesota gets 61 percent of its points per game from freshmen or redshirt freshmen.

The University of Minnesota will not travel back to Minneapolis after their game against the Illini as the Gophers take on Ohio State on Feb. 8, in Columbus. That game can be seen on B1G+ starting at 6 p.m.

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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Amaya Battle

Mara Braun

Mallory Heyer