Game preview: Gophers women at George Washington

December 10, 2019 at 7:06AM
Minnesota forward Taiye Bello plays against Arizona State during an NCAA women's basketball game on Sunday, Nov.17, 2019 in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Andy Clayton-King )
Gophers forward Taiye Bello last month at Williams Arena. (Ken Chia — Associated Press/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

6 p.m. at George Washington • No TV, 96.7-FM

Preview: The Gophers (7-1) bring a seven-game winning streak into the final of a three-game road trip, and the second in a row in Washington, D.C. They defeated American 70-53 on Sunday. It was a season low for points allowed by the Gophers. George Washington (6-3) has won four consecutive games since an 88-54 loss to Maryland on Nov. 20. The Colonials defeated Quinnipiac on Saturday on the road. Their coach is Jennifer Rizzotti, the former UConn star who played five seasons in the WNBA.

Players to watch: Gophers F Taiye Bello scored a career-high 25 points and grabbed 10 rebounds Sunday — her fourth consecutive double-double. She was named Big Ten co-player of the week Monday and is averaging 14.5 points and 10.6 rebounds. Colonials G Tori Hyduke is averaging 13.2 points per game while shooting 51% on three-pointers (22 of 43). G Maddie Loder, a sophomore from Orono, is averaging 6.5 points.

Numbers: The Gophers are averaging 11.5 turnovers per game — fifth fewest in Division I. The Gophers are 18-1 in regular-season nonconference games under coach Lindsay Whalen.

Injuries: Colonials G Sydney Zambrotta, her team's leading scorer (13.3 ppg), has missed the past six games, and F Neila Luma has missed the last five because of undisclosed injuries.

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