Gopher Glory: The Dynamic World of University of Minnesota Athletics

MINNEAPOLIS – The No. 24 AP ranked University of Minnesota women’s basketball squad (16-1, 4-1 B1G) is set to compete against No. 8/7 Maryland (15-1, 5-1 B1G) on Tuesday evening at the Xfinity Center. The contest is scheduled for a 6 p.m. CT start and will be streamed live on Big Ten Network. Justin Gaard and Lynnette Sjoquist will provide live commentary on KFAN+.

No. 24/RV Minnesota (16-1, 4-1) vs. No. 8/7 Maryland (15-1, 5-1 B1G)

TV: Big Ten Network (Ed Cohen, play-by-play and Christy Winters Scott, analyst)

Tip Time: 6:01 p.m. CT

Radio: KFAN+ 96.7 FM and the iHeartRadio app (Justin Gaard and Lynnette Sjoquist)

Location: XFINITY Center

About the Maryland Game

• RV/RV Minnesota and No. 8/7 Maryland are battling for the 16th time on Jan. 14, with the Terrapins maintaining a 14-1 advantage in the series. The Golden Gophers’ sole victory occurred on Feb. 18, 2018.

• In the previous season, Minnesota succumbed to its seventh consecutive defeat against Maryland, ending 72-64. Mara Braun contributed 20 points, while Sophie Hart added 13 and Grace Grocholski chipped in with 12.

• This season, Maryland enters the contest with a record of 15-1 and a conference mark of 5-1. The Terrapins come off a win against Wisconsin with a score of 83-68 on the road.

• Last week, Maryland faced its first defeat of the season against No. 4/5 USC, ending in a close 79-74 at the XFINITY Center. This loss broke the Terrapins’ 14-game winning streak. Shyanne Sellers led Maryland with 26 points.

• Kaylene Smikle has achieved double-digit scores in 15 consecutive games, while Sellers has also reached double figures in 12 consecutive outings.

• The Terrapins rank No. 4 in the nation for rebound margin (13.7), No. 3 in free throws per game (17.75), and No. 7 in rebounds per game (44.94).

• Maryland’s head coach Brenda Frese previously served one season at Minnesota as head coach from 2001-02.

Gopher Notables

• Minnesota has established a new program record by securing 12 non-conference victories, surpassing the previous record of 11 set in seven different seasons, most recently in 2018-19.

• Currently, the Gophers are 11-0 at home this season, marking their longest home undefeated streak since 2018-19.

• Minnesota has begun this season with its best 17-game record in program history at 16-1. The Gophers previously started at 15-2 during the 2002-03 and 2003-04 seasons.

• With the victory over Rutgers, Minnesota has improved its conference record to 4-1, placing them fifth in the Big Ten standings. This is their best conference performance since 2014-15, when they started at 5-1 before a loss to Purdue in overtime.

• Amaya Battle scored 21 points against the Scarlet Knights, matching her season-high achieved against Vermont. Battle has recorded double-digit scores in her last five games, marking the second-longest streak of her career. Last season, she had a six-game streak of scoring in double figures (March 6-April 3).

• Sophie Hart achieved her second career double-double on Wednesday, contributing 14 points and a game, season, and career-high of 11 total rebounds. Hart is averaging 7.8 points per game and 4.1 rebounds per game this season with 17 starts.

• Freshman McKenna Johnson came in off the bench against Rutgers and scored a career-high of 15 points. This is the second occurrence this season that she has entered the game and posted double-digit points, having previously scored 13 points in Minnesota’s victory over UMass Lowell.

By the Numbers

800: Minnesota is ten victories away from a program milestone of 800 wins

400: Head Coach Dawn Plitzuweit achieved her 400th career win against Big Ten opponent Illinois

29: The Gophers’ NET ranking is No. 29. Minnesota also received votes in both major polls last week.

5: Minnesota ranks fifth in the Big Ten with a 4-1 record behind Ohio State, UCLA, USC, and Maryland.

3: As a team, the Maroon & Gold are positioned at No. 3 nationally and No. 1 in the conference for assist/turnover ratio (1.8) and scoring defense (50.8 points per game)

1: Minnesota is rated as No. 1 in the country and Big Ten for fewest turnovers, averaging 9.5 per game.