10 NCAA TOURNAMENTS • 1 FINAL FOUR • 12 ALL-AMERICANS • 5 BIG TEN PLAYERS OF THE YEAR • 8 WNBA DRAFT PICKS GAME 5 WILLIAMS ARENA Date: Wednesday, Dec. 23, 2020 // 1 p.m. MINNESOTA GOLDEN GOPHERS INDIANA HOOSIERS Site: Williams Arena // Minneapolis Rank: AP - NR | Coaches - NR Rank: AP - 19 | Coaches - 18 Stream: BTNPlus.com // BTN+ App Head Coach: Lindsay Whalen Head Coach: Teri Moren Radio: 96.7 FM, KFAN Plus // iHeartRadio app Career (3rd season): 38-29 (.567) 1-3 Career (18th season): 329-206 (.615) 3-2 Talent: Corbu Stathes & Lynnette Sjoquist At Minnesota (3rd): Same 0-2 B1G At Indiana (7th): 130-76 (.631) 1-0 B1G Live Stats: GopherSports.com SERIES INFORMATION OPENING TIP-OFF vs. Indiana • After a nine-day layoff for Finals, Minnesota women's basketball Overall: Minnesota Leads 37-33 is back in action Wednesday at home against No. 19/18 Indiana Home: Minnesota Leads 20-12 (3-2, 1-0 B1G) at 1 p.m. The game, which is the only regular season Road: Minnesota Trails 15-17 matchup between the schools and is the fi nal game of the calendar Neutral Sites: Minnesota Trails 2-4 year for Minnesota, will be available to stream on BTN Plus and can Under Whalen: Minnesota Trails 1-3 be heard on the Gophers' radio home, 96.7 FM KFAN Plus. Last Meeting: L, 75-69, in Minneapolis (2/22/20) Series Streak: Minnesota Lost 3 • The Gophers are 1-2 at home this season. Jasmine Powell leads In Minneapolis: Minnesota Lost 2 the team with 19.7 points per game at Williams Arena, while Kadi Sissoko (15.3) and Gadiva Hubbard (13.3) are also in double fi gures. 2020-21 SCHEDULE/RESULTS Hubbard is also tops on the team at home in free throw percentage Date Rank Opponent (TV) W/L Time (88.9) and 3-point percentage (44.4). Klarke Sconiers is averaging a Jasmine Powell leads the Big Ten and ranks fi fth 12.2 NR/NR Eastern Illinois (BTN+) W 72-68 team-high 7.0 rebounds per game at home and is shooting a team- nationally with 7.0 assists per game. 12.6 NR/NR Drake (BTN+) L 66-99 best 56.3 percent from the fl oor. 12.9 NR/NR Michigan State* (BTN) L 68-81 12.14 NR/NR at #16/17 Northwestern* (BTN) L 51-80 • Jasmine Powell leads the Gophers with a scoring average of 18.5 points per game this season, including 21 12.23 NR/NR #19/18 Indiana* (BTN+) 1 p.m. points in the opener against Eastern Illinois and 22 more against Drake. She was the fi rst Gopher since Carlie 1.3 --/-- at Wisconsin* (BTN+) TBD Wagner in 2016-17 to score at least 20 points in each of the fi rst two games in a season. In addition to her scor- 1.6 --/-- at Iowa* (BTN+) TBD ing prowess, which is currently eighth in the Big Ten, Powell leads all Power 5 players and is fi fth nationally in 1.10 --/-- Penn State* (BTN+) 4 p.m. assists per game (7.0). 1.14 --/-- Maryland* (BTN+) 4 p.m. 1.19 --/-- at Nebraska* TBD • In the season opener, Kadi Sissoko scored 24 points in her fi rst game at Minnesota to tie a school record for 1.25 --/-- at Penn State* TBD points a debut (Kenisha Bell vs. VCU, 11/15/16). Her 24 points were also the most in a season opener by a Gopher 1.28 --/-- Purdue* (BTN+) 4 p.m. since Carlie Wagner opened the 2016-17 campaign with 27 points against Harvard. Sissoko leads the Big Ten in 1.31 --/-- Iowa* (BTN+) 4 p.m. offensive rebounds per game (4.2), is 11th in blocked shots per game (1.25) and ranks 20th in scoring (15.0). 2.4 --/-- at Michigan* TBD 2.7 --/-- at Ohio State* TBD • After scoring 6 points in the season opener, Gadiva Hubbard produced consecutive games with 17 points and 2.10 --/-- Illinois* (BTN+) 4 p.m. four 3-pointers made versus Drake and Michigan State. Only twice last year did she combine for more than 34 2.14 --/-- Wisconsin* (BTN+) 4 p.m. points in back-to-back games (38 vs. Bryant (18) and Notre Dame (20); 35 vs. Iowa (18) and Purdue (17)). She's 2.17 --/-- at Rutgers* TBD shooting 42.4 percent (14-33) from the fl oor over the last 2.20 --/-- at Maryland* TBD three games and 40.9 percent (9-22) on 3's. SCONIERS' IMPROVEMENT 2.24 --/-- Nebraska* (BTN+) 4 p.m. STAT 2019-20 2020-21 DIFFERENCE 2.28 --/-- Michigan* (BTN+) 4 p.m. • Sopohomore Klarke Sconiers has fi lled a big void in the Points/Game 2.5 6.5 +4.0 3.5/6 --/-- at Illinois* TBD frontcourt after Minnesota lost three post players from last Rebounds/Game 1.6 6.8 +5.2 B1G Women’s Basketball Tournament (Indianapolis) year's squad. Her scoring is up 4.0 points per game, while Off. Reb/Game 0.5 4.0 +3.5 Def. Reb/Game 1.1 2.8 +1.7 3.9-13 --/-- vs. TBD TBD her rebound average is over 5.0. In addition, she's playing Field Goal Pct. .500 .529 +.029 Home games in bold | All times CT nearly 13.0 more minutes per game; she's already played Minutes/Game 10.6 23.2 +12.6 * - Big Ten Conference game more than half of her total minutes from a year ago. AP/Coaches Poll Rankings as of day of game MINNESOTA PROJECTED STARTERS Minnesota Athletic Communications Assistant Director/WBB Contact: Karl Anderson No. Name Pos. Yr. Pts. Reb. Min. Other Note Contact: 612.910.2564 (Cell) // [email protected] 4 Jasmine Powell G So. 18.5 5.3 32.9 7.0 asst. 1st in B1G and 5th in NCAA with 7.0 assists per game Website: GopherSports.com 14 Sara Scalia G So. 7.5 1.5 27.1 0.5 asst. Averaged 8.5 pts. and 4.0 rebs. last season vs. Indiana Twitter/Instagram/Facebook: @GopherWBB 25 Klarke Sconiers C So. 6.5 6.8 23.2 52.9% FG Set career highs in pts. (14) and rebs. (8) in season opener 30 Kadi Sissoko F R-So. 15.0 7.0 33.4 1.3 blk. Leads B1G in offensive rebounds per game (4.2) 34 Gadiva Hubbard G R-Sr. 11.8 3.3 34.4 88.9% FT Ranks 4th in B1G in minutes/game, 7th in 3's/game (2.25) 2020-21 MINNESOTA GOLDEN GOPHERS 1 4 10 12 Alexia Smith Jasmine Powell Erin Hedman Laura Bagwell Katalinich 5-8 • G • Fr. 5-6 • G • So. 6-3 • F • Fr. 6-0 • F • Gr. Columbus, Ohio Detroit, Mich. New Berlin, Wis. Minneapolis, Minn. 14 15 21 24 Sara Scalia Kayla Mershon Caroline Strande Justice Ross 5-10 • G • So. 6-3 • F • Jr. 5-11 • G • Fr. 6-0 • F • R-Fr. Stillwater, Minn. Minnetonka, Minn. Racine, Wis. Des Moines, Iowa 25 30 34 43 Klarke Sconiers Kadi Sissoko Gadiva Hubbard Grace Cumming 6-2 • C • So. 6-2 • F • R-So. 5-9 • G • R-Sr. 6-3 • F • R-Fr. Queens, N.Y. Paris, France Virginia Beach, Va. Des Moines, Iowa Lindsay Whalen Carly Thibault-DuDonis Danielle O’Banion Kelly Curry Melissa Maines Head Coach Associate Head Coach Assistant Coach Assistant Coach Asst. AD/Director of Operations Third Season Third Season Third Season Third Season Third Season Minnesota, ‘04 Monmouth, '13 Boston College, '01 Minnesota, ‘07 Texas Tech, ‘98 2020-21 GOLDEN GOPHER ROSTER/PRONUNCIATIONS ROSTER BREAKDOWN ALPHABETICAL Starters Returning: (3) Newcomers: (5) No. Name Pos. Ht. Yr. Hometown/Previous School Gadiva Hubbard, G, R-Sr. Laura Bagwell Katalinich, F, Gr. 12 Laura Bagwell Katalinich F 6-0 Gr. Minneapolis, Minn. (Cornell Univ.) Jasmine Powell, G, So. Erin Hedman, F, Fr. 43 Grace Cumming F 6-3 R-Fr. Des Moines, Iowa (Des Moines Roosevelt HS) Sara Scalia, G, So. Kayla Mershon, F, Jr. 10 Erin Hedman F 6-3 Fr. New Berlin, Wis. (Eisenhower HS) Alexia Smith, G, Fr. 34 Gadiva Hubbard G 5-9 R-Sr. Virginia Beach, Va. (Princess Anne HS) Letterwinners Caroline Strande, G, Fr. 15 Kayla Mershon F 6-3 Jr. Minnetonka, Minn. (Univ. of Nebraska) Returning: (4) 4 Jasmine Powell G 5-6 So. Detroit, Mich. (Detroit Country Day HS) Gadiva Hubbard, G, R-Sr. By Class: 24 Justice Ross F 6-0 R-Fr. Des Moines, Iowa (Des Moines East HS) Jasmine Powell, G, So. Seniors (2) 14 Sara Scalia G 5-10 So. Stillwater, Minn. (Stillwater HS) Sara Scalia, G, So. Juniors (1) 25 Klarke Sconiers C 6-2 So. Queens, N.Y. (Christ the King HS) Klarke Sconiers, C, So. Sophomores (4) 30 Kadi Sissoko F 6-2 R-So. Paris, France (Syracuse University) Freshman (5) 1 Alexia Smith G 5-8 Fr. Columbus, Ohio (Columbus Africentric Early College) Redshirted Players 21 Caroline Strande G 5-11 Fr. Racine, Wis. (Racine Lutheran HS) Returning: (3) By Home: Grace Cumming, F, R-Fr. Minnesota (3) Associate Head Coach Carly Thibault-DuDonis Gadiva Hubbard guh-DEEV-uh Justice Ross, F, R-Fr. Iowa (2) TEE-bow doo-DON-iss Kayla Mershon MERR-shawn Kadi Sissoko, F, R-So. Wisconsin (2) Strength Coach Kristin Zdanczewicz Sara Scalia SCAL-ee-uh Michigan (1) zuh-DANZ-vich Klarke Sconiers SKON-yers New York (1) Laura Bagwell Katalinich Kadi Sissoko KADD-ee SEE-SO-koh Ohio (1) cuh-TAL-in-itch Caroline Strande STRAND-ee Virginia (1) France (1) MERSHON GRANTED IMMEDIATE ELIGIBILITY • Minnesota led 14-11 after the fi rst quarter, but TEAM COMPARISON • Transfer forward Kayla Mershon has been granted im- Indiana opened up the second stanza on a 12-2 run.