The Minnesota women’s basketball team (11-1, 0-1 Big Ten) held Jackson State (1-8, 0-0 SWAC) to just 18.8 percent from deep in a 3-for-16 shooting performance on the way to an 81-43 victory against the Tigers at home Wednesday night at Williams Arena.
The Golden Gophers had two players score in double figures, led by Tori McKinney, who had 14 points and four assists. Mallory Heyer tacked on 12 points and Amaya Battle added eight points, five assists and five steals.
Sophie Hart pulled down three offensive rebounds to pace an offense that racked up second chance opportunities for Minnesota, grabbing 14 boards and turning them into 15 second chance points.
The Minnesota defense was a problem in Wednesday’s game, forcing 19 Jackson State turnovers while committing 14. Those takeaways turned into 25 points on the offensive end of the floor. Battle’s five steals led the way individually for the Maroon and Gold.
How It Happened
After jumping out to a 7-4 advantage, Minnesota went on an 8-0 run with 5:50 left in the first quarter, culminating in a bucket from McKenna Johnson, to increase its lead to 15-4. The Gophers then added one point to that lead by the end of the period and entered the quarter break with a 20-8 advantage.
Minnesota did most of its first quarter damage in the paint, scoring 12 of its 20 points close to the basket.
Minnesota built that first quarter lead to 30-13 before going on a 7-0 run starting at the 4:33 mark in the second period, highlighted by a bucket from McKinney, to increase its lead to 37-13. The Gophers proceeded to tack on one point to that lead and enjoyed a 42-17 advantage heading into halftime. Minnesota dominated in the paint, scoring 14 of its 22 points close to the basket.
Following intermission, Minnesota continued to expand its advantage, pushing it to 53-23 before going on a 7-0 run, punctuated by a basket from McKinney, to expand its lead further to 60-23 with 3:19 to go in the third. Before the conclusion of the third period, the Tigers had cut into that lead somewhat, but the Gophers still entered the fourth quarter with a 65-29 edge. Minnesota played well near the basket, scoring 12 of its 23 points in the paint.
Minnesota kept its lead intact before going on a 9-0 run, finished off by McKinney’s layup, to grow the lead to 74-34 with 6:19 to go in the contest. The Tigers narrowed the margin somewhat before the game was over, but the Gophers still cruised the rest of the way for the 81-43 win. Minnesota took advantage of its opportunities in the post, scoring 10 of its 16 points in the paint.
Game Notes
» The Maroon and Gold held the Tigers to only 27.8 percent shooting from the field.
» The Gophers never trailed after taking a 20-8 first quarter lead.
» Minnesota tallied 18 total assists in the game.
» Minnesota had a stellar day defensively, holding Jackson State to 19 percent from three point land on 16 attempts.
» The Minnesota bench made an impact by adding 30 points to its scoring output.
» Minnesota had a 45-24 edge on the boards in the win.
» The Minnesota defense forced 19 turnovers.
» The Gophers were active in affecting shots on the defensive end, tallying seven blocks as a team.
» Minnesota cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 14 offensive boards in the game.
» Tori McKinney led the Gophers with 14 points.
» Minnesota got a team-high six rebounds from McKenna Johnson.
(info and photo courtesy of Gopher Sports)
