Tori McKinney scored a season-high 20 points as the Gophers women’s basketball team returned home in style, beating Northwestern 79-47 on Thursday, Jan. 8, at Williams Arena.
McKinney averages 13.0 points per game but was held to a season-low four in a 70-60 loss at No. 9 Michigan on Jan. 5. On Thursday, the sophomore guard scored 18 points in the first half as the Gophers (11-4, 2-2 Big Ten) built a 30-point halftime lead with two nearly flawless quarters against a Northwestern team that has lost 10 games in a row.
“I thought Tori did a really good job,” Gophers coach Dawn Plitzuweit told KFAN radio after the game, “and everyone did a really good job of recognizing good scoring opportunities. We just played really well and made good decisions.”
The Gophers, who were playing their first home game since Dec. 14, shot 53% from the field and had zero turnovers in the first half.
“I thought we really did a nice job and moved the ball, and shared the ball,” Plitzuweit said. “I thought we played as well offensively as we could.”
The Gophers also played well defensively in the first half, forcing 10 turnovers, including eight off steals, while holding Northwestern’s Grace Sullivan to five points in the first half. The 6-foot-4 senior forward was fifth in the nation in scoring average (23.4 points per game) and was averaging 29.5 points per game in Big Ten games.
McKinney scored 10 points in the final five minutes of the first quarter as the Gophers outscored the Wildcats 16-4 to pull away from 7-7 tie.
In the second quarter, the Gophers put together a 23-0 run — with McKinney scoring eight points — to open a 46-15 lead with 2:07 left.
