University of Minnesota Athletics

No. 24/RV Minnesota (16-1, 4-1) vs. No. 8/7 Maryland (15-1, 5-1 B1G)
TV: Big Ten Network (Ed Cohen, play-by-play and Christy Winters Scott, analyst)

Tip time: 6:01 p.m. CT

Radio: KFAN+ 96.7 FM and the iHeartRadio app (Justin Gaard and Lynnette Sjoquist)

Location: XFINITY Center

About the Maryland game
• RV/RV Minnesota and No. 8/7 Maryland meet for the 16th time on Jan. 14, with the Terrapins holding a 14-1 lead in the series. The Golden Gophers’ only win came on February 18, 2018.
• Last season, Minnesota lost its seventh straight game to Maryland 72-64. Mara Brown had 20 points Sophie Hart had 13 and Grace Grocholski had 12.
• This season, Maryland enters play with a 15-1 record and a 5-1 record in conference play. The Terrapins are coming off an 83-68 win on the road against Wisconsin.
• Last week, Maryland suffered its first loss of the season against No. 4/5 USC 79-74 at the XFINITY Center. The loss ended the Terrapins’ 14-game winning streak. Shyanne Sellers led Maryland with 26 points.
• Kaylene Smikle has scored in double figures in 15 straight games, while Sellers has scored in double figures in 12 straight games.
• The Terrapins rank fourth nationally in rebound margin (13.7), third in free throws made per game (17.75) and seventh in rebounds per game (44.94).
• Maryland head coach Brenda Frese was head coach at Minnesota for one season in 2001-02.

Gopher celebrities
• Minnesota set a new program record with 12 non-conference wins. The Gophers have scored just 11 goals in seven different seasons, most recently in the 2018-19 season.
• The Gophers are 11-0 at home so far this season. It is the longest unbeaten home streak since 2018/19.
• Minnesota is off to its best 17-game start in program history with a 16-1 record this season. The Gophers came close twice to start a season in 2002-03 and 2003-04, going 15-2.
• With the win over Rutgers, Minnesota is now 4-1 in the conference and fifth in the Big Ten standings. The conference record is the best since 2014-15, when the Gophers were 5-1 until their overtime loss to Purdue.
• Amaya battle scored 21 points against the Scarlet Knights, matching her season high set against Vermont. Battle has scored double-digit points in her last five games, marking her second-longest streak in her career. Last season, Battle had a six-game double-digit winning streak (March 6-April 3).
• Sophie Hart posted her second career double-double on Wednesday with 14 points and a game-, season- and career-high total of 11 rebounds. Hart is averaging 7.8 points per game and 4.1 rebounds per game in 17 starts this season.
• Freshmen McKenna Johnson came off the bench against Rutgers and scored a career-high 15 points. It is the second time this season that the guard has come into the game and scored in double figures. Johnson had 13 in Minnesota’s win over UMass Lowell.

Through the numbers
800: Minnesota is 10 wins away from a program record of 800 wins

400: Head coach Dawn Plitzuweit secured her 400th career win against Big Ten opponent Illinois

29: The Gophers’ NET ranking is No. 29. Minnesota also received votes in both major polls last week.

5: Minnesota sits in fifth place in the Big Ten with a record of 4-1 behind Ohio State, UCLA, USC and Maryland.

3: As a team, the Maroon & Gold are ranked No. 3 nationally and No. 1 in the conference in assist/turnover ratio (1.8) and scoring defense (50.8 points per game).

1: Minnesota is ranked No. 1 in the country and has the fewest turnovers in the Big Ten, averaging 9.5 turnovers per game.