Gophers women-Notre Dame game preview

U goes on road for first time

Preview: The Gophers (5-1) take a five-game winning streak into their first road game of the season. The game is part of the Big Ten/ACC challenge. The Gophers are coming off a 101-56 victory over Bryant on Nov. 26. Notre Dame (5-4) is in a rebuilding year with five new starters. The Irish are coming off a 67-51 victory over South Florida on Saturday.

Players to watch: Gophers freshman G Jasmine Powell is averaging 12.2 points per game. Freshman G Sara Scalia is averaging 9.5 points per game and shooting 50% from three-point range. For the first time since 2001, the Irish are starting two freshmen — G Anaya Peoples is averaging 14.0 points and 6.6 rebounds while F Sam Brunelle is averaging 13.3 points and 6.7 rebounds. Sophomore G Katlyn Gilbert leads the team in scoring (14.9 points).

Numbers: This is the third meeting between the two, but the first during a regular season. The Gophers won the previous two meetings (in 1994 and 2009) in the NCAA tourney.

Joel Rippel