Gameday preview: Gophers women's basketball at Rutgers
December 31, 2015 at 7:05AM
Noon at RUTGERS • Piscataway, N.J. • 88.5-FM
Gophers update: Last season, the Gophers (8-3) opened the Big Ten schedule with a victory for the first time in seven years. They have not won Big Ten openers in consecutive years since the 2004-05 and 2005-06 seasons, and they haven't won a league opener on the road since 2007-08. Senior guard Rachel Banham needs three baskets to break Carol Ann Shudlick's career record of 854; Banham has 86 this season, including 32 three-pointers, and is averaging a team-high 23.1 points per game. The Gophers lead the Big Ten with 8.7 three-pointers per game but recently have shot poorly from beyond the arc, dropping their percentage to 31.7.
Rutgers update: During their current four-game winning streak, the Scarlet Knights (9-3) have held opponents to 39 points per game. They are 5-1 at home and have won eight of their past nine games. G/F Kahleah Copper leads the team with 17.5 points and 7.2 rebounds per game, while G Tyler Scaife averages 16 points and is shooting 53.7 percent from the field. Rachel Hollivay, a 6-4 C, leads the Big Ten with 36 blocks and has 256 for her career, third most in program history.
RACHEL BLOUNT
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Minnesota’s bench scored 50 points, including a team-leading 18 points from graduate transfer Annika Stewart, showcasing the depth that coach Dawn Plitzuweit promised.
