Gameday preview: Gophers women vs. Ball State

7 P.M. VS. ball state • williams ARENA • stream at gophersports.com

Gophers at a glance: The Gophers (18-13) had the second-best offense in the Big Ten (70.0 ppg), but nearly half of their scoring came from two players: Rachel Banham (21.0 ppg) and Micaella Riche (13.0 ppg). Minnesota shot 35.6 percent as a team from three-point range during the regular season and held opponents to just a 31.0 percent mark. Minnesota is 1-1 overall in the WNIT, with the team's only other appearance coming during the 2006-07 season. Big Ten teams have won the postseason tournament title three times since 1998. The Gophers are 13-5 at Williams Arena this season.

Ball State at a glance: Ball State, located in Muncie, Ind., enters the WNIT with a 15-15 record. The Cardinals were the No. 2 seed in last week's Mid-American Conference tournament after going 12-4 in conference play during the regular season, but lost in the semifinals. Still, this season represents a turnaround from a year ago, when the Cardinals were 9-21 overall and 4-12 in conference play. Nathalie Fontaine, a 6-2 freshman guard from Stockholm, Sweden, leads the team in scoring at 13.4 ppg.

michael rand