Gophers-Cal Riverside women's basketball game preview
Nonconference finale follows eight-day layoff
Preview: The Gophers, 6-0 at Williams Arena, return to action after an eight-day break for their final nonconference game. The Gophers (10-2) are coming off a 112-68 victory over Cal Poly on Dec. 13. California Riverside is wrapping up a three-game, six-day tour of the Upper Midwest. The Highlanders (3-9) lost at Iowa State 89-66 on Sunday and at South Dakota 75-66 on Tuesday. The Highlanders are 1-6 on the road. The Gophers open Big Ten play on Dec. 28 at Northwestern.
Players to watch: Senior G Michelle Curry, who scored 19 points Tuesday to surpass 1,000 career points, leads the Highlanders in scoring (13.7 points per game). Senior G Lauren Holt is averaging 12.6 points per game and sophomore F Skyler Lewis 9.0 points and 8.1 rebounds per game. Gophers G Kenisha Bell is averaging 20 points per game. F Taiye Bello made her first start of the season against Cal Poly. She had 14 points, 10 rebounds and five steals in 21 minutes.
Numbers: The Gophers made a season-high 16 three-pointers vs. Cal Poly. … The Gophers won 57-49 on Nov. 9, 2007, in their only other game against UC Riverside.
Injury: F Malou Thiebaut De Kergret, one of four players from France on the Highlanders roster, returned to the lineup Tuesday after missing four games with a sprained ankle. She scored 12 points in 22 minutes.
JOEL RIPPEL
about the writer
Gophers coach P.J. Fleck often says, “Start fast, accelerate in the middle and finish strong,’’ a philosophy that can apply to both a game and an entire season.