Who's next? Different players step up for No. 21 Gophers women

January 22, 2015 at 1:21PM
Shae Kelley
Shae Kelley (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

One game, it's gutsy freshman Carlie Wagner hitting two threes and scoring eight points down the stretch to ensure a victory. The game before, it might have been 6-5 Amanda Zahui B.'s turn to dominate the post and clinch a victory. Lately, it has been reigning Big Ten Player of the Week Shae Kelley, a senior first-year Gopher who transferred from Old Dominion, hitting buckets and grabbing headlines.

She had a season-best 29 points and a career-high 18 rebounds last Thursday in the most dynamic individual performance yet.

Yes, the Gophers lost super-scorer Rachel Banham in December, but since the turn of the calendar, the would-be law firm of Wagner, Kelley & Zahui has formed a new core for 21st-ranked Minnesota.They are taking turns at the wheel, each driving in key moments in big victories.

Here's a look at their games and Big Ten honors in 2015:

(Brian Stensaas/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
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