BIG Game 13: Gophers @ Rutgers, Feb 8th

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DietCokeFan

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Gophers travel to Rutgers for a 11:00AM game on BIG+
Couple things I am looking for:
  • How do the Gophs look coming off a big win at Iowa?
  • Does the hot shooting stay?
Go Gophs! Grab the win and see yourself in the top 25!
 

This is a game we should win big. Rutgers is 1-11 in big ten play. Must win game. Rutgers have lost the last two big ten games by 32 and 40 points respectively. This is a bad team.
 

Lots of nifty moves by several Gophers near the basket, this way, that, and then up with the.left hand for the score.
 


From Rutgers website. Grabbed sections. More interested in promoting their special event than the actual game itself. I forget Washington is the coach.​

Women's Basketball Celebrates Letterwinners and NGWSD Against RV/RV Minnesota​

PISCATAWAY, N.J. – The Rutgers women's basketball team (9-14, 1-11 B1G) will welcome Minnesota (17-6, 8-4 B1G) to Jersey Mike's Arena for National Girls and Women in Sports Day/Letterwinner Day.

The contest will be streamed live on B1G+, and fans can listen on FOX Sports New Jersey.

Sunday's contest is presented by ShopRite and the entire 2025-26 Rutgers women's basketball season is presented by Prudential.

National Girls and Women in Sports Day/Letterwinner Day

To celebrate National Girls & Women in Sports Day, "Rutgers Watches Women's Sports" t-shirts will be on sale at merchandise stand on concourse.
During halftime, the team will have a NJSIAA Student Athlete March, honoring 314 student-athletes. There will also be a recap of the Women in Sports panel Rutgers hosted earlier in the week, feature Director of Athletics Keli Zinn. Postgame, select student-athletes will be available for autographs on an exclusive poster.

Letterwinners will be celebrated in-game, as well as at a special pregame event.

Finally, the Scarlet Knights will once again recognize Play4Kay cancer warriors during the contest.

Last Time Out

The Scarlet Knights were downed by No. 2/2 UCLA (22-1, 12-0 B1G), 86-46, on Wednesday night at Pauley Pavilion.

Lauryn Swann (14) and Zachara Perkins (13) paced the Scarlet Knights in scoring and from beyond the arc with three deep shots each.

Milestones Made

There has been plenty to celebrate "On The Banks" including Faith Blackstone clinching 1,000th Division I points against Lafayette on Dec. 20. She is the 45th overall Scarlet Knight to join the 1,000-point club and currently sits with 1,117 points.

Kaylah Ivey also captured 500 career assists at Michigan State on Dec. 28. Her 540 helpers rank 12th in the nation among active players.

Head coach Coquese Washington also secured her 250th career win on Dec. 20.
Transferring In

Washington and her staff welcomed six transfers for this upcoming season including Lauryn Swann (Arizona), Kaylah Ivey (Boston College), Nene Ndiaye (Boston College), Faith Blackstone (Stephen F. Austin), Imani Lester (Kansas State), Yacine Ndiaye (UNCG).

Swann comes to RU after spending her freshman season at Arizona. She was named to the 2025 Big 12 All-Freshman Team as well as earning a Big 12 All State Bench Performance of the Week and Big 12 Freshman of the Week twice. The Queens, New York native recorded 12 double digit outings and led the team in scoring five times, including a career high 22 points against Utah, (Dec. 31) knocking down a career-best six three-pointers and shooting 85 percent from field. She made 50-of-128 three pointers during the 2024-25 slate, making her one of only six Wildcats have made more three-pointers in a campaign in program history.

Ivey spent the last four seasons at Boston College where during her senior season, she led the ACC and ranked third in the nation with a 3.3 assist/turnover ratio on 160 assists and 49 turnovers. She recorded 16 helpers to go along with no turnovers against Miami (Jan. 16), the most by a player in a single ACC game since 2002. Ivey ended the season 8th in program history at BC with 455 assists

Nene Ndiaye played the past two seasons at Boston College and most recently during her sophomore season, appeared in 30 games and made 10 starts. She scored a career high 16 points and tied a season-best six rebounds at Pittsburgh (Feb. 6) and ended the campaign averaging 4.4 points and 2.3 rebounds per game and netted points in 23 outings. Ndiaye was also a part of the Senegal U18 National Team and in the 2020 Afrobasket Tournament.

In Blackstone's most recent season at Helped Stephen F. Austin win the Southland Tournament Championship and secure a spot in the 2025 NCAA Tournament. She was named a First-Team All-Conference selection after leading SFA with 14.8 points per game in addition to averaging 6.1 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.8 steals.

Lester spent the last two seasons at Kansas State where she helped the Wildcats to a 28-8 overall record and a Sweet Sixteen appearance in the NCAA Tournament. She saw action in 34 contests and set multiple career-highs including points, field goal percentage, rebounds, assists and steals

Yacine Ndiaye played her freshman and sophomore seasons at UNCG. She helped the Spartans to a historic 2024-25 slate, including a SoCon Tournament Championship and a trip to the 2025 NCAA Tournament. Ndiaye saw action in 27 games and finished second on the team with 21 blocks. She also appeared in 12 contests during her freshman campaign.

New Knights

The team also brought in two freshmen in Precious Gem Wheeler and Makylah Moore.

Wheeler attended Franklin High School. She broke out during her sophomore season in 2022-23, recording 9.9 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game. Wheeler also helped to lead Franklin to the Somerset County Tournament semifinals.

Moore helped her team at Nazareth High School to a NYSPHSAA Championship recording 18 points and 10 rebounds in the title tilt. She also guided her team to a Borough Championship. During her senior season, the Brooklyn, New York native averaged 21.4 points, 7,0 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.3 steals per game. Reached double digit points in all 29 games, including 20+ points 11 times and 30+ five times. In addition, she posted five double-doubles and six or more rebounds in 19 contests.
Scouting the Gophers

Minnesota has won its last five matches, most recently defeating No. 10 Iowa, 91-85.

Grace Grocholski paces the team with 13.7 points per game. Amaya Battle leads the team off the boards, averaging 7.4 rebounds.
 


From U of M:

STARTING FIVE
  • Before returning to Williams Arena to host Nebraska on Thursday, the Golden Gophers will face Rutgers on Sunday at Jersey Mike's Arena. The Scarlet Knights lead the all-time series 9-7, which began in 1982.
  • The Maroon and Gold are coming off a 91-85 upset of No. 10 Iowa on Thursday night. After trailing by one point at the end of the first quarter, Tori McKinney and Grace Grocholski hit back-to-back 3-pointers to give Minnesota a lead it would not relinquish. The win marked Minnesota's second victory over an AP Top 25 opponent this season, its first outright win over a top-10 team since a 93-74 victory over No. 10 Maryland at Williams Arena in 2018 and its first top-10 road win since 2003, when the Gophers defeated No. 9 Stanford 68-56 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. It was also Minnesota's first regular-season top-10 road win since beating No. 5 Wisconsin 92-85 in 2002.
  • Minnesota snapped an 11-game losing streak against Iowa, earning its first win over the Hawkeyes since a 90-89 victory in the 2018 Big Ten Tournament. Four Gophers scored in double figures, led by Carlie Wagner with 27 points and Kenisha Bell with 26.
  • Five Gophers scored in double figures in Thursday's win over Iowa, led by Grocholski's 21 points, her fourth 20-point game of the season. Mara Braun added 16 points and went 4-for-4 from 3-point range. McKinney finished with 15 points to record her fourth consecutive double-figure game and 14th of the season. Amaya Battle posted her third double-double of the season with 12 points, a career-high 14 rebounds and six assists, while Finau Tonga added 10 points and seven rebounds.
  • Minnesota's win streak currently stands at five games. It's the first five-game win streak for Minnesota this season and longest win streak since going 5-0 en route to winning last season's WBIT championship. In addition, it's the team's longest win streak within the Big Ten since winning six in a row during the 2018-19 campaign.
  • The Iowa win improved the Maroon and Gold's record to 17-6 overall and 8-4 in Big Ten play. It marks the best 12-game start in conference play since the 2017-18 season when the team also started 8-4. That season was also the last time Minnesota made the NCAA Tournament.
  • As a team, Minnesota set a program record by shooting 71.4% from 3-point range, going 10-for-14 and breaking a mark that had stood since 2015.

WHERE THEY RANK
  • Minnesota is ranked No. 9 in the NET and is one of 10 Big Ten teams in the top 25. The Gophers also received six votes in this week's AP Top 25. Minnesota's NET ranking is the third highest in the Big Ten, only behind No. 2 UCLA and No. 6 Michigan.
  • The Gophers lead the NCAA in fewest turnovers per game, averaging 10.3. The next closest Big Ten team is Illinois at 12.4 turnovers per contest.
  • Minnesota's 1.61 assist-to-turnover ratio ranks fourth nationally and second in the Big Ten.
  • The Maroon and Gold's defense allows only 56.1 points per game, ranking them 19th in the NCAA and first in the conference. UCLA is second in the Big Ten at 56.7 points allowed per game.

THE ORIGINAL G-MONEY
  • Following Minnesota's win over No. 10 Iowa, Grace Grocholski leads the nation shooting 48.7% from 3-point range. She is also shooting 52% from the field and 75% from the free throw line.
  • This season, Grace Grocholski leads Minnesota with 316 points, averaging 13.7 points per game.
  • Grocholski ranks second on the Gophers' roster with 62 assists.
  • Against No. 7 Maryland on Dec. 7, Grocholski knocked down a career-high nine 3-pointers on her way to a career-best 31 points, tying for the second-most 3-pointers made in a single game in program history.

McKINNEY MAGIC
  • In Minnesota's last four games, Tori McKinney leads the Gophers with 72 points and is averaging 18 points per game.
  • She's scored in double digits in 14 out of 19 games she's played in, including a season high 23 points at Penn State.
  • Tori McKinney recorded back-to-back 20-point games, scoring 23 points against Penn State after posting 20 against Wisconsin.
  • Against the Nittany Lions, McKinney set a career high threes made in a game, going 5-7.

BATTLE TIME
  • Amaya Battle is the only active NCAA player (playing from 2022-present) with more than 1,000 career points, 600 career rebounds and 500 career assists.
  • Battle's career totals stand at 1,396 points, 699 rebounds and 570 assists.
  • Battle ranks third all-time in career assists in Minnesota's record book. She is nine away from surpassing Lindsay Whalen (578) for second all-time.
  • The Hopkins, Minnesota, native has scored in double figures in seven consecutive games. During that stretch, the guard has led Minnesota with 37 rebounds and 18 assists, while totaling 59 points and averaging 14.8 points per game.

​

 








Why is Tonga getting so many minutes early? Love her enthusiasm, but not her finish on attempted baskets.
 







I liked Hart’s play that first quarter. I don’t recall seeing her run back on the floor with that intensity consistently. She really seemed to work and hustle out there.

And Tori has some range on that shot!

I’m hoping a few adjustments do the trick after Q1. Liked seeing a variety of players in off the bench.
 











The coaching staff was staring at a classic trap game: a road game after a big win against a top 10 opponent also on the road that happens to be a big rival.

They did not refocus the team. They had plenty of time off since the Iowa game to get the mental edge back and failed.
 



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