Gophers at a glance: The Gophers (13-4, 2-1 in the Big Ten) are off to a strong start in conference play, though the competition ramps up a notch. Their two Big Ten victories have come against Wisconsin and Ohio State, who are tied at the bottom of the conference standings at 0-4. In their latest victory, 83-74 over the Buckeyes a week ago, the Gophers were led by sophomore Rachel Banham's 24 points. She already has 934 career points, meaning she is 66 away from becoming the 21st player in program history to reach the 1,000-point milestone. Micaella Riche added 20 points against Ohio State. The Gophers went just 3-for-22 from three-point range combined in those two conference victories, making them all the more impressive.
Boilermakers at a glance: Purdue (14-2, 3-0) is tied for the Big Ten lead and ranked No. 12 by the Associated Press. But the Boilermakers have been living on the edge -- all three of their conference victories have come in overtime, including a triple-overtime win over Ohio State in their most recent game. Their only losses this season came against Connecticut (91-57) and Notre Dame (74-47), two of the top three ranked teams in the country. Courtney Moses, a 5-6 junior guard, leads a balanced offensive attack. She is Purdue's top scorer at 14.1 ppg, but three other teammates average in double figures. The Boilermakers are shooting 38.1 percent from three-point range while holding opponents to 27.3 percent.
Note: The game is available on the Gopher All-Access webcast on gophersports.com.
MICHAEL RAND
