Minnesota Ready for Rematch with Michigan State

MINNEAPOLIS - The University of Minnesota women's basketball team (14-7, 4-6 B1G) will have its first rematch of the season as the program heads to East Lansing, Mich., for a meeting with Michigan State (16-5, 6-4 B1G). The Monday-night contest will be held at the Breslin Center and starts at 5 p.m. CT on Big Ten Network while Justin Gaard and Lynnette Sjoquist will broadcast the game on KFAN+.

GAME INFORMATION
TV/Stream: Big Ten Network
Tip Time: 5:00 p.m. CT.
Radio: KFAN+ (96.7 FM) and the iHeartRadio app (Justin Gaard and Lynnette Sjoquist)

ABOUT THE MICHIGAN STATE GAME

Minnesota and Michigan State are meeting for the 73rd time, with the Spartans holding a 47-25 advantage in the series that started back in 1980. Minnesota holds a record of 7-27 against Michigan State on the road.
Michigan State has won the last 10 games in East Lansing with Minnesota's last win over the Spartans on the road being on Feb. 26, 2009, by a score of 66-51.
The Spartans are 3-0 since their loss to Minnesota on Jan. 20, picking up two home wins over Purdue and Michigan before defeating Rutgers in Piscataway, N.J. Michigan State is currently projected as an NCAA Tournament team as a No. 8 seed in the Raleigh region.
Individually this season the Spartans are led by Moira Joiner, a veteran Big Ten player who averages 14.9 points per game this season while shooting 45.4 percent from the floor, 40.5 percent from three and 91.4 percent from the free throw line. Joiner is joined in double figures by Julia Ayrault (14.9), DeeDee Hagemann (12.8), Theryn Hallock (10.7) and Tory Ozment (10.0). Ozment, who primarily comes off the bench, also shoots 55.6 percent from the floor and averages 5.4 rebounds per contest.
Michigan State is tied with Minnesota with the most in-state players on the roster with eight student-athletes being from the state of Michigan.

GOPHER NOTABLES

Minnesota suffered its third straight loss to close out the month of January with a 80-64 loss to Penn State. The Gophers had four players score in double figures, led by Sophie Hart, who had 13 points, seven rebounds and two steals. Janay Sanders, making her first start with the Gophers, tacked on 13 points and two steals and Grace Grocholski and Amaya Battle helped out with 12 points each.
Minnesota will face Michigan State for the second time in 17 days when the teams clash on Feb. 5. Mallory Heyer will look to repeat her 18-point, 15-rebound performance she had on Jan. 20. Since 2009, only two Big Ten players have pulled down 15 rebounds and hit five or more threes in any game and against Michigan State sophomore Mallory Heyer became the only player that has done it twice.
University of Minnesota head women's basketball coach Dawn Plitzuweit announced Monday that sophomore guard Mara Braun suffered a foot injury against Illinois that will require surgery and will be out indefinitely. This season Braun has been one of the Big Ten's top scorers at 17.8 points per game, which is fourth in the conference, while shooting a career high 37 percent from three.
Without Mara Braun in the lineup for the first time this season graduate Janay Sanders was elevated into the starting lineup. The Charlotte, N.C., native dropped a season-high 13 points against Penn State on 6-of-12 shooting. Sanders has been one of the best drivers for the Golden Gophers this season with the guard averaging 3.5 drawn fouls per game this season. Against Michigan State on Jan. 20, Sanders drew five fouls.
Last season the Gophers were ranked 291st in the NCAA and 13th in the Big Ten in turnovers per game (17.7) per game but through 21 games this season are ranked 20th in the country and No. 3 in the Big Ten at 12.9.
Grace Grocholski is the only freshman in the Big Ten this season that has produced two 19-point games against conference foes (Michigan, Indiana). She's also the top freshman in the Big Ten in total games in double figures scoring with 14, one ahead of Nebraska's Natalie Potts (13).

BY THE NUMBERS
48 - This season Minnesota has shot 48 percent from the floor in the fourth quarter.
6 - Sophie Hart's 56.2 percent from the floor during conference play is the sixth-best percentage in the Big Ten.
19 - Mallory Heyer has made at least one three in 19 straight games.
22 - Amaya Battle had a streak of 22 straight made free throws before her miss against Penn State.
27 - This season Minnesota is 27th in the NCAA in assist-to-turnover ratio as a team at 1.2.

The Maroon and Gold return home for a matchup with No. 8/7 Ohio State on Thursday, February 8, at 8 p.m. The game will be streamed live on Peacock from Williams Arena.

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

Grace Grocholski

Sophie Hart

Mallory Heyer

Janay Sanders