MINNEAPOLIS - The No. 21/rv University of Minnesota (16-3, 5-2) women's basketball team hits the road to take on No. 25/23 Rutgers (13-5, 4-3) for the first time in Big Ten Conference play Sunday at 4:15 p.m. CT at the Rutgers Athletic Center. The contest will be broadcast live on BTN, with Ed Cohen and Vera Jones on the call, while fans can listen to live audio of the game on 1500 ESPN. Live stats will be available on Gophersports.com and live updates can be found on the Gophers' official twitter page - @GophersWBB.
Though it suffered its third loss of the season Thursday night against Purdue, Minnesota is tied for third in Big Ten standings with Nebraska with a 5-2 conference record, while the team joins No. 7/6 Maryland as one of just two league squads with 16 wins on the year. The Gophers lead the league in rebounds per game at 43.8, while rankings second in Big Ten standings in assists per game, assist turnover ratio and defensive rebounds. The Maroon and Gold also sits among the best teams in the NCAA, ranking in the nation's top-16 in four categories - defensive rebounds per game, assists per game, least personal fouls per game and blocks per game.
Minnesota also has four players that appear among the nation's best, with Amanda Zahui B. leading the way. The sophomore center ranks third in double doubles, eighth in defensive rebounds per game, 10th in blocks per game and field goal percentage and 12th in rebounds per game, while senior Shae Kelley ranks 31st in double doubles, 85th in rebounds per game, 90th in field goal percentage and 91st in points per game to combine as one of the best front courts in the NCAA. Shayne Mullaney ranks 12th in the NCAA in assists per game and 55th in assist turnover ratio, and Mikayla Bailey ranks 145th in three-point field goals per game and 151st in three-point field goal percentage.
The Gophers and the Scarlet Knights will be meeting for just the second time on Sunday afternoon, with Rutgers picking up the win in the teams' only game, 83-75, on March 23, 1982 in New Jersey.
Rutgers is currently ranked No. 25 in the AP Top-25 Poll and No. 23 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll and sit in a four-way tie for fifth in Big Ten standings. The Scarlet Knights are coming off a 2013-14 season in which they won the Postseason WNIT with a 28-9 overall record, which included a 15-3 record at home.
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