Sara Scalia usually goes to the Gophers women's basketball practice court at night, after dinner. Alone on the court, she'll grab a ball and start shooting. Shots in the paint, then some from mid-court and then, from behind the three-point line.
Sometimes from way behind. Three, four nights of the week, during the season. Apart from classes, travel, practices. Scalia is alone in the gym shooting shot after shot.
"I go for makes,'' Scalia said. "I want to get 500 makes.''
In a Gophers season that has more downs than ups, Scalia has been the team's model of consistency. Heading into Thursday's game at Purdue (6 p.m., BTN Plus) the junior guard from Stillwater has scored in double figures in 16 of 20 games. She leads the team in scoring (16.4) and made three-pointers, where she is shooting at a 42% clip. Over the past 10 games, she has averaged 19.4 points, and made 41 of 89 threes.
She has worked to broaden her game, improving her ability to drive for a layup or mid-range shot. But her bread and butter, her most valuable asset, is her ability to hit a three. Even from well behind the NCAA's 20-foot, 9-inch arc.
In the process she is emerging as a leader. She was willing to express her disappointment at how disconnected the team was in a one-sided loss to Iowa, a game in which she was the only Gophers player in double figures. The day after that loss, following a film session, the players held a meeting without the coaches.
"I feel we didn't give it our all,'' she said. "That's the biggest thing for me. Whether we win or lose, to make sure myself and the people I'm playing with give max effort.''
At Michigan State on Sunday, Scalia scored 31 points but missed a driving layup with 13 seconds left that would have tied the score — "I'll probably be thinking about it for a while," she said afterward — as the Gophers lost by three. A loss, yes, but also some gains.
