Gophers women clobber VCU, improve to 3-0

Thursday night at Williams Arena, the Gophers did what you'd expect someone with NCAA tournament aspirations to do against one of the greenest women's basketball teams in Division I.

Win. Big.

So, in front of an announced crowd of 2,147, that's just what they did.

The Gophers (3-0) got out on the break so often that their 108-63 victory over VCU (0-2) looked like a layup drill at times.

The Gophers got points, frankly, from just about everywhere.

"I was very pleased with our offensive production tonight," coach Marlene Stollings said. "It was nice how we were able to share the ball."

Against an inferior opponent, the goal was to get off to a strong start in each quarter. Minnesota was 3-for-4 in that department. It scored on its first 12 possessions of the game, and both the third and fourth quarters featured strong starts.

Thirteen Gophers played, 10 scored, and five were in double figures. Bell had 20 points and 10 assists in 25 minutes of playing time, and freshman guard/forward Destiny Pitts had 20 points and 12 rebounds. The 5-10 dynamo has 32 rebounds in three games.

Carlie Wagner scored 17. Taiye Bello and Jasmine Brunson each had 10.

Minnesota, which scored more than 100 points for the second time in three games, shot 50 percent while holding the Rams to 34.3.

VCU is in a big-time rebuilding mode with no seniors and just two juniors. That youth might one day be served, but Wednesday it translated into lots and lots of mistakes.

And the Gophers, with much of their scoring back from last season, were in good position to take advantage.

That helped translate into a whopping 58 points in the paint.

And it started early.

The Gophers built an early 25-14 lead, and there was really no looking back. Up 33-18 after a quarter, the Gophers saw their lead shrink to eight after VCU scored the first seven points of the second quarter.

But Pitts hit two three-pointers and Bell scored eight points in an 18-2 run that ended with two Wagner free throws and a 51-33 lead.

That lead grew to as big as 35 in the third quarter and as big as 46 in the fourth.

Stollings said Pitts is mature beyond her years. Pitts? She was just happy after getting her first double-double.

"It was exciting," she said. "My shot, my teammates helped me find it. And I was able to be aggressive on the boards."