Gophers women's gameday
2 p.m. at Illinois • BTN, 96.7-FM
Skidding teams find each other
Preview: Both teams will be looking to end losing streaks. The Gophers (11-4, 1-3 Big Ten), who bring a three-game losing streak into the game, are coming off a 56-54 loss to Northwestern at home on Thursday. Illinois (9-6, 0-4 Big Ten) is looking for its first conference victory. The Illini, who bring a four-game losing streak into the game, are coming off a 75-51 loss to Rutgers at home on Thursday. Rutgers outscored the Illini 26-2 in the third quarter. The Illini's four conference losses have been by an average of 32 points.
Players to watch: G Destiny Pitts leads the Gophers in scoring (16.3 points per game) and is shooting 45.9% from three-point range, the 15th-best percentage in Division I. F Taiye Bello, averaging 13.0 points and 9.9 rebounds per game, had nine rebounds on Thursday to move into fifth place on the program's career rebounding list with 867. G Petra Holesinksa, a junior from the Czech Republic, leads the Illini in scoring (14.3 points per game) and is shooting 47% on three-point field goals. F Kennedi Myles, a 6-2 freshman, is averaging 10.1 points and 9.3 rebounds per game.
Numbers: Illinois defeated the Gophers 66-62 in Minneapolis last year; the Gophers had won the previous four meetings. The Gophers, who trail 37-29 in the all-time series, have won the past two meetings in Champaign.
joel rippel
