The University of Minnesota women’s basketball team (12-6, 3-4 Big Ten) continues its West Coast swing as it takes on Oregon (14-6, 2-5 Big Ten) on Wednesday. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m.
Minnesota (12-6, 3-4 Big Ten) at Oregon (14-6, 2-5 Big Ten)
Tip Time: 8 p.m. CT
Location: Matthew Knight Arena (Eugene, Ore.)
STARTING FIVE
• The Golden Gophers close out their West Coast trip Wednesday night at Matthew Knight Arena against the Oregon Ducks.
• Minnesota fell to the Washington Huskies 67-54 on Sunday. Mara Braun, Amaya Battle and Grace Grocholski combined to score 41 of the Gophers’ points. Braun led with a season-high 18 points, followed by Battle with 12 and Grocholski with 11.
• Braun and Grocholski have each reached 1,000 career points this season. With those milestones, Minnesota now has three active 1,000-point scorers, including Battle. Brylee Glenn is nearing the mark with 915 career points.
• Battle has recorded 549 career assists, ranking third in Minnesota history. She needs 30 more assists to surpass Lindsay Whalen (578) for second on the program’s career assists list.
• This season, Battle leads the Gophers in assists (69) and rebounds (130). She ranks 15th in the Big Ten in assists per game (3.8) and ninth in rebounds per game (7.2).
WHERE THEY RANK
• Minnesota is ranked No. 16 in the NET and is one of 10 Big Ten teams in the top 25. The Gophers also received one vote in this week’s AP Top 25 poll.
• Minnesota leads the nation with 11 games holding opponents to 50 points or fewer. No other team in the country has more than nine such games, and the next closest Big Ten team is Maryland with seven.
• The Maroon and Gold rank No. 1 in the nation and the Big Ten in fewest turnovers per game, averaging 10.5.
• Minnesota’s 1.57 assist-to-turnover ratio ranks eighth nationally and third in the conference.
SERIES HISTORY
• Oregon leads the all-time series 3-0, dating to 1979.
• Prior to their first conference meeting last season, the Gophers and Ducks had met twice in postseason tournaments.
• Their first meeting came during the 1979 NWIT in Amarillo, Texas, and their second occurred in the second round of the 2018 NCAA Tournament.
(info and stock photo courtesy of Gopher Sports)
