U women gameday

2 P.M. VS. n. dakota • WILLIAMS arena • 88.5-FM

Gophers at a glance: It wound up being a little more dramatic than they would've liked, but a dominating first half and some clutch play down the stretch from senior forward Micaëlla Riché helped the Gophers (8-2) secure a 74-67 win over visiting Miami (Fla.) Thursday as part of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. Riché scored 15 points, 10 of which came with redshirt freshman center Amanda Zahui B. on the bench after fouling out with 12 minutes to play. … Despite some foul trouble of her own, junior guard Rachel Banham finished with 27 points against the Hurricanes, her fourth straight game of 20-plus points. Over that stretch, Banham has averaged 28 points per game. … After Sunday, the Gophers will not play again until Dec. 20, when they host UCLA as part of the Subway Classic.

North Dakota at a glance: North Dakota (3-2) come to Minneapolis to face the Gophers for the first time since 1985 and is riding a three-game winning streak. After a 78-66 victory over Milwaukee on Wednesday, North Dakota is above .500 for the first time since the 2011-12 season. … The team is led by senior Madi Buck (16.4 points and 8.0 rebounds per game) and sophomore Mia Loyd (13.0 points, 9.4 rebounds). … Loyd, who played high school ball at DeLaSalle in Minneapolis, is one of four Minnesotans on the squad. Senior Megan Lauck of Mounds View and freshmen Erin O'Toole of Hopkins and Leah Szabla of Providence Academy are the others.

BRYCE EVANS