The numbers look the same, but Lindsay Whalen and her players say things feel different.
Saturday at Williams Arena the Gophers (10-1) pushed their winning streak to 10 games with a 77-49 victory over a Minnesotan-laden Lehigh team.
It was the end of the nonconference schedule for the Gophers, who will play at Penn State next Saturday in their Big Ten opener.
Destiny Pitts led four Gophers in double figures with 19 points, hitting three of five three-pointers. Freshman point guard Jasmine Powell had 14 points, five rebounds and three assists. Freshman Sara Scalia and Masha Adashchyk each scored 12.
A year ago the Gophers cruised through a relatively easy nonconference schedule 11-0. And then the conference schedule came and they started 2-7.
This year, a tougher nonconference schedule, plus a year of experience in Whalen's system, could make a difference.
"Last year was a little different for us,'' said Pitts, who scored eight of her 19 points in the first quarter, when the Gophers used a 17-2 run to take control of the game. "We were learning [a new system] and stuff. "And I feel the quality of our opponents will help us for Big Ten play.''
Whalen emphasized rebounding and defense while preparing for this game, and it worked. Lehigh's 49 points were a season low for a Gophers foe, and the Mountain Hawks shot just 31.7% overall and were 2-for-16 on three-pointers. The Gophers outrebounded Lehigh 50-39.
