Gophers women's gameday
7 P.M. VS. Maine • Williams Arena • 1500-AM
Preview: The Gophers' second game is against the 1-1 Maine Black Bears, who are coming off a seven-point loss at Boston College after winning at Harvard in their season opener. The Gophers shredded Wofford 98-54 in their opener last Friday.
Player to watch: It's gotta be Rachel Banham, who is 85 points away from becoming the program's all-time leading scorer. Her teenage idol, Lindsay Whalen, holds the record with 2,285 points. With Banham looking like she didn't miss a beat following season-ending knee injury last December, that record almost certainly won't make it to Christmas. Banham, in her first game, had 22 points in 26 minutes against Wofford.
Numbers: Mikayla Bailey was named Big Ten co-player of the week after career highs of 26 points and 13 rebounds against Wofford. She made six of her 11 three-point shots. One more number: 62 — that's how many rebounds the Gophers tallied in their opener. A smaller team than last season, the Gophers are making team-rebounding an emphasis.
About Maine: All but one player is back from a team that went 23-9 and made the WNIT last season. Liz Wood was the America East's defensive player of the year last season. Sigi Koizar (17 points per game) and Mikaela Gustafsson (10) lead the Black Bears in scoring.
Staff reports
