U women's gameday

7 P.M. VS. TOWSON • williams arena • 1500-AM

Preview: It's healing time for the Gophers, losers of two in a row to power-conference teams. Expect Minnesota to rebound the rest of this month. The Gophers' next five games are all at home, against lesser opponents. They start against 2-5 Towson tonight, before hosting Memphis, New Mexico, North Dakota and New Jersey Institute of Technology. The next time the Gophers hit the road it will be for their Big Ten opener at Rutgers on New Year's Eve.

About the Gophers: While victories would have been great for the Gophers, losses to quality opponents Auburn (in Puerto Rico) and Duke away from home doesn't kill their nonconference season. The Gophers are 4-2 and positioned to be 9-2 entering the Big Ten season if they take care of business at Williams Arena. Their latest loss, 84-64 against those 14th-ranked Blue Devils, came Thursday when the three-pointers weren't falling. The Gophers shot 20 percent from downtown (5-for-25). Rachel Banham and Mikayla Bailey went a combined 2-for-17. Sophomore guard Carlie Wagner scored 23 points on 10-for-17 shooting. Banham, the U's new career scoring leader, scored 21. The Gophers fell behind Duke early and didn't rebound or hit enough shots to put together a comeback.

About Towson: Freshman G Sianni Martin is the player to watch. She scored 18 points in the Tigers' latest game, an 88-60 loss to Cornell. Towson, located just north of Baltimore, has beaten Maryland-Baltimore County and Western Illinois.

Next weekend: The Gophers plan to honor Banham for her record during next Saturday's home game against Memphis (2 p.m.).

Staff reports