Gameday preview: Miami (Fla.) at Gophers women's basketball
December 5, 2013 at 5:14AM
8 p.m. VS. MIAMI • WILLIAMS ARENA • BTN, 1500 AM
Gophers at a glance: The Gophers (7-2) return home for the Big Ten/ACC Challenge after going 2-1 in the Waikiki Beach Showdown in Honolulu. Minnesota's only loss came on Sunday in overtime to tournament host, and eventual champion, Hawaii. That defeat stopped a five-game Gophers' winning streak that included wins over Chattanooga and Colorado State over the weekend. … Junior guard Rachel Banham was named the tournament MVP after averaging 28.3 points and shooting 63.6 percent (14-22) from three-point range. She is averaging a team-high 21.7 points per game. … Sophomore Kayla Hirt also turned in a big weekend, averaging 13 points and 4.7 rebounds coming off the bench. … Through nine games, the Gophers lead the nation in three-point shooting percentage (.477) and rank ninth in overall field-goal percentage (.490).
Miami at a glance: The Hurricanes (5-2) come to Williams Arena riding a four-game winning streak — albeit against some less-than-stellar competition. Miami beat Oakland University in Michigan in its first road game of the season on Nov. 19, and then returned home for a clean sweep of its annual Thanksgiving tournament. The Hurricanes blew out Yale and St. Francis College (Brooklyn), before topping Missouri 74-68 in the final on Saturday. … Caprice Dennis, who leads Miami in scoring at 21.5 points per game, has scored 20-plus points in three games in a row. … This is Miami's first trip to Minneapolis since Nov. 28, 1987, when the Gophers beat the Hurricanes 76-72. Minnesota leads the all-time series 2-1.
BRYCE EVANS
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Dawson Garcia, who finished with 27 points and 12 rebounds, helped the Gophers beat No. 20 Michigan for their first victory over a ranked team in nearly four years.
