Gophers Set Record in Season Opener
Minneapolis, MN (GopherSports.com) - The Golden Gophers set a new school record Friday with 16 three pointers as they opened the season with a 98-54 home win over Wofford.
Mikayla Bailey posted her third career double-double with 26 points, including six 3-pointers, and 13 rebounds. She shot 10-for-16 from the field.
Minnesota’s 16 triples broke the previous record of 14, which Minnesota had achieved twice and not since Nov. 29, 2008 against UMass. Five Gophers contributed made 3-pointers, and the team shot 39 percent (16-for-41) from behind the arc. Minnesota made 10 of its triples in the second half.
Rachel Banham made four of those 3-pointers and scored 22 points in her first game since last December. She scored nine of her points in the first quarter. The fifth-year senior now needs 85 points to set a new Minnesota career scoring record.
All five Minnesota starters reached double figures in scoring. Carlie Wagner had 17 points, and Shayne Mullaney and Jessie Edwards each added 12. Edwards shot 4-for-6 from both the field and the free throw line and pulled down seven rebounds in her Minnesota debut.
Freshmen Danielle Garven and Annalese Lamke also made their debuts. Lamke grabbed six rebounds and Garven tallied three.
Joanna Hedstrom scored eight points to lead Minnesota’s bench. She hit back-to-back 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to help propel the Gophers to the record.
The Gophers outrebounded Wofford 62-31. They also had an advantage at the line, making 16 of 21 free throws while the Terriers made 6 of 8. Minnesota shot 44 percent overall to Wofford’s 30.4 percent.
Minnesota began pulling away from Wofford early in the game. After the game was tied at 11, the Gophers went on an 18-0 run. The Terriers were scoreless from the 2:38 mark of the first quarter until the 5:44 mark of the second. The Gophers held the Terriers to just four points in the second quarter, and led 45-15 going into the locker room. Banham and Wagner had 17 and 11 points, respectively, at the half to lead the team.
Eight of Bailey’s rebounds came in the first half. Her offense heated up in the second half, as she scored 10 points on 4-for-5 shooting in the third, and 13 points on 5-for-6 shooting in the fourth. The Gophers again held Wofford to single-digit scoring in the fourth, outdoing the Terriers 31-8 in the period.
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