The University of Minnesota women’s basketball team (11-2, 1-1 B1G) is set to begin the new year with a matchup with Maryland (9-4, 1-1 B1G) on Jan. 3, at 7 p.m.
ABOUT THE MARYLAND GAME
Minnesota and Maryland are clashing for the 15th time on Jan. 3, with the Terrapins owning a 13-1 advantage in the series. Last season Minnesota faced Maryland just once, with the then-16th ranked Terrapins winning in College Park, 107-85. This season Maryland comes in with a record of 9-4, and have gone 1-1 in their Big Ten games. The Terrapins are coming off a 87-81 loss to Nebraska, in Lincoln, snapping the team’s seven-game winning streak. Maryland’s lone Big Ten win was against Northwestern, which was a 71-58 win in College Park back on Dec. 10. Maryland is led by Shyanne Sellers at 16.7 points per game this season. Sellers shoots 42.5 percent from the floor and 37.1 percent from beyond the arc. She’s also one of the best at getting to the free throw line with 5.2 makes per game and shoots 86.1 percent from the charity stripe.
As a team, as of Dec. 31, Maryland is No. 7 in the NCAA and leads the Big Ten in free throws made per game at 17.5. The Terrapins also are an elite offense at 81.6 points per game, which is No. 25 in the NCAA and No. 4 in the conference. Maryland’s bench is also one of the best in the nation with an average of 27.3 points per game coming from their reserves, good enough for No. 35 in the country and No. 3 in the Big Ten.
Since joining the Big Ten in 2014-15, the Terrapins are 158-25 (.863) vs. their conference opponents, including their 20-4 record in the Big Ten Tournament.
BATTLE LINES
Gopher guard Amaya Battle spoke with MNN sports director Mike Grimm about the Maryland game:
GOPHER NOTABLES
Minnesota’s eight game winning streak was snapped in a 94-71 loss to No. 4/3 Iowa on the road on Dec. 30. The Maroon and Gold had three scorers in double figures in the loss with Amaya Battle leading the way with 16 points, five assists and five steals. Mara Braun added 15 while Sophie Hart contributed 13 points of her own. Minnesota’s starters scored 59 of the team’s 71 points and the Gophers shot just 3-of-19 (15.8 percent) from beyond the arc in the loss
Minnesota returns home where the Gophers have posted an 10-1 record this season, guaranteeing them a winning record at the Barn for the 21st straight full season. Minnesota started playing at the Barn for every game at the start of the 2002-03 season
Mara Braun put forth her sixth career perfect free throw game when the sophomore made 7-of-7 from the charity stripe against No. 4/3 Iowa. Braun leads the NCAA in free throw percentage at 95.3 percent, making 41-of-43 attempts this year. This season Braun is also No. 2 in the Big Ten in scoring average (19.8), No. 2 in threes made (43) and is No. 4 in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.3). This season Braun is second in the Big Ten and No. 11 in the nation in win shares (2.7), an advanced statistic, provided by HerHoopStats.com, that approximates the total number of wins a player produces for their team through their play on the offensive and defensive end of the court.
The Gophers have made steady improvement in the turnover department this season committing just 10.8 in their last four games, down from 14.1 in their first nine games. Last season the Gophers were ranked 291st in the NCAA and 13th in the Big Ten in turnovers per game at 17.7 per game but through 13 games of the 2023-24 season are ranked 28th in the country and No. 4 in the Big Ten at 13.1. The team is also 26th in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio as a team at 1.34, which is No. 4 in the conference while the team’s plus-6.5 turnover margin ranked No. 19 in the NCAA and No. 3 in the Big Ten.
Sophie Hart has been one of the hottest players on the Gophers in the past four games scoring an average of 11.3 points, up from 8.4 points and 4.0 rebounds in her first five games of the season. During the four-game stretch Hart has shot 22-of-32 (68.8 percent) from the floor.
BY THE NUMBERS
34 – Minnesota’s fourth quarter defense this season has allowed just 34.1 percent shooting from the field.
1 – Minnesota has had the same starting lineup of Battle, Braun, Grocholski, Heyer and Hart in all 13 games this season.
43 -Mallory Heyer has started all 43 games of her career, the fifth-longest streak to start a career at Minnesota.
37 – As of Jan. 1, Minnesota is No. 37 in the latest NCAA NET Rankings.
21 – Minnesota has scored an average of 21.1 points per game off of turnovers this season.
Minnesota is back on the road for a meeting with Michigan (11-3, 2-0 B1G) on Jan. 9, in Ann Arbor, The game against the Wolverines will be televised on Big Ten Network with a tip time of 7 p.m. CT.
(info and picture courtesy of Gopher Sports)
