Gopher Glory: The Dynamic World of University of Minnesota Athletics

MINNEAPOLIS – The University of Minnesota women’s basketball squad (15-1, 3-1 B1G) is set to host the Rutgers Scarlet Knights (8-7, 0-4 B1G) this Wednesday at Williams Arena. The game is set to begin at 7:01 p.m. CT and will be available for streaming on B1G+. Justin Gaard and Lynnette Sjoquist will provide commentary for the game on KFAN+.

Minnesota (15-1, 3-1 B1G) vs. Rutgers (8-7, 0-4 B1G)

Stream: B1G+

Tip Time: 7:01 p.m. CT

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

Venue: Williams Arena

About the Rutgers Game

• This marks the 18th encounter between Minnesota and Rutgers, with the Scarlet Knights leading the series 9-6, a rivalry that began in 1982. The Golden Gophers have a record of 4-2 at The Barn against their East Coast rival.

• Last season, these teams squared off twice – once during the regular season and once at the Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament.

• In the first round of the Big Ten Tournament last year, Amaya Battle set a Big Ten Tournament record by scoring 32 points in a 77-69 triumph at the Target Center.

• Battle’s 32 points surpassed the previous records held by Gadiva Hubbard (2017) and Jamie Broback (2005) for the highest points scored by a Gopher in the Big Ten Tournament.

The Scarlet Knights have struggled in conference play, currently sitting at 0-4 after losing to Wisconsin, No. 10/9 Ohio State, No. 8/7 Maryland, and No. 4/5 USC.

• Jojo Lacey is the only Scarlet Knight to have started all 15 games this season. Lacey recorded 14 points against No. 4/5 USC, along with four rebounds and one block.

• Destiny Adams ranks second on the team in points per game, averaging 17.5, and leads with 10.1 rebounds per game. Additionally, Adams is the team leader in steals (32) and blocks (15) and ranks third in the conference for steals.

• Adams received her first Big Ten Player of the Week award (Nov. 11) as well as being named one of the USBWA Ann Meyers Drysdale National Players of the Week and earned an AP Player of the Week Honorable Mention.

• The Scarlet Knights are spearheaded by freshman Kiyomi McMiller, who is averaging 19.9 points per game. Unfortunately, McMiller was unable to participate against No. 4/5 USC.

Gopher Notables

• Minnesota established a new program milestone with 12 non-conference victories. The Gophers had previously achieved a maximum of 11 wins in seven different seasons, the latest being in 2018-19.

• This is the first occasion since 2003-04 that the Maroon & Gold holds a record of 15-1. 21 years ago, Minnesota made its inaugural trip to the Final Four in New Orleans in program history.

• The Gophers are currently 10-0 at home this season, marking their longest home unbeaten streak since the 2018-19 season.

• This week’s AP Poll was made public on Monday, revealing that Minnesota received seven votes. The Gophers have not been ranked in either the AP Poll or the Coaches Poll since the 2018-19 season. The last instance Minnesota was included in the AP Poll was on Dec. 30, 2019 at No. 24, and in the Coaches Poll on Jan. 15, 2019 at No. 25.

• Following a victory over Illinois 68-61, who were receiving votes in both top 25 polls, Minnesota achieved its highest NET ranking in history at No. 28.

400 Career Wins

• Thanks to Minnesota’s remarkable fourth-quarter comeback victory, Head Coach Dawn Plitzuweit reached her 400th career victory.

• In her career as a head coach spanning 18 seasons, she has compiled a remarkable record of 400-158, boasting a .717 winning percentage.

• Before taking the reins at Minnesota’s program, Plitzuweit had tenures at Grand Valley State, Northern Kentucky, South Dakota, and West Virginia.

• Under her leadership, the Lakers attained four postseason berths, including securing an NCAA Division II National Championship title in 2005-06. Plitzuweit garnered a 117-39 (.750) record, with a 68-22 (.756) mark in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC).

• During her stint at South Dakota, she piled up a record of 158-36, which includes an 83-10 mark in the Summit League. The three-time Summit League Coach of the Year, Plitzuweit guided the Coyotes to three regular-season championships, three conference tournament titles, four NCAA Tournament appearances, and a place in the 2022 NCAA Sweet 16 during her tenure at USD.

• She has also been an assistant coach at Michigan (2007-12), Green Bay (1998-02), Wisconsin (1997-98), and her alma mater Michigan Tech (1995-97). She holds the Summit League record for both overall winning percentage (.814) and conference winning percentage (.892).

B1G Win

• The Gophers secured their third consecutive conference victory on Sunday with a score of 68-61 against the Illinois Fighting Illini.

• Minnesota staged a comeback from an 11-point deficit in the third quarter and is currently positioned fifth in the Big Ten behind UCLA (No. 1), Maryland (No. 2), USC (No. 3), and Ohio State (No. 4).

• Mallory Heyer recorded her 12th career double-double with 10 points and a team-high 10 rebounds.

• Grace Grocholski achieved a season-best of 19 points against Illinois, seven of which occurred in the fourth quarter, with five coming from free throws. She converted 5-6 from the line in that quarter.

• Grocholski has accumulated 24 career games with double-digit scoring. Minnesota holds a record of 15-9 when she reaches double figures.

• Five players reached double figures in scoring, as besides Heyer and Grocholski, Annika Stewart, Tori McKinney, and Amaya Battle contributed 11 points each. This marks the second occasion this season where five Gophers have scored in double digits (Montana, 11/24/24).

Stat Check

• With four consecutive victories leading into Wednesday night’s matchup, Minnesota is positioned prominently in various statistical categories nationally.

• The Gophers rank fourth in the nation and first in the Big Ten for assist/turnover ratio.

• The Maroon & Gold’s scoring defense leads the conference and stands third in the NCAA, allowing an average of 50.8 points per game to opponents.

• Minnesota is second nationally and first in the Big Ten for the fewest turnovers as a team, averaging 9.4 turnovers per game and matched a program record low of three against Prairie View A&M on Dec. 20, 2024.