Three-point shooting could be critical when the Gophers women's basketball team plays Belmont at noon Wednesday at Williams Arena in a nonconference game.

The veteran Bruins (6-4) of Nashville return every starter from a team that won the Ohio Valley title last season, thereby qualifying for the NCAA tournament. They are making 9.5 threes per game and have made 95 — only five teams have made more through Monday.

The Gophers are making 7.6 threes per game — second most in the Big Ten. Junior guard Carlie Wagner is fourth in the conference with 2.8 threes per game. She is averaging 19.4 points per game, Kenisha Bell 16.7 and Gadiva Hubbard 14.6.

Belmont, winners of four in a row, is led by Kylee Smith (14.3) and Darby Maggard (13.5).

Maggard has made a team-high 34 threes.

Etc.

• Senior Justin Kloos and sophomore Tyler Sheehy, two Gophers forwards, were named the Big Ten's first and third stars of the week in college hockey. Kloos had a goal and four assists as Minnesota swept host Michigan State in two 4-2 games. Sheehy had a goal in each game; he also had an assist the first game. The second star was Wisconsin sophomore forward Luke Kunin, the Wild's first-round draft pick last spring, was the second star; he had two goals and an assist in a split with Michigan.

• The Gophers wrestling team (3-1) moved up five spots to No. 13 in the USA Today/NWCA Division I Coaches Poll. Minnesota beat then-No. 10 Michigan 22-18 in Ann Arbor on Sunday, dropping the Wolverines to No. 14.

• Charlie Lawrence, a junior from Foley, Minn., received the Fred O. Watson Award, given to the team MVP of the Gophers men's cross-country team.

• University of St. Thomas softball coach John Tschida was recently inducted into the National Fastpitch Coaches Association's Hall of Fame in New Orleans. In 22 years of college coaching at St. Mary's and St. Thomas (the past 16 seasons), Tschida has won three national titles and is the winningest Division III coach with a 856-157 record.

• St. Cloud State is ranked No. 1 in the first regular-season NCAA Division II wrestling coaches' poll.