No. 4 Iowa Plays Host to Minnesota

Rivals on Winning Streaks Heading into B1G Clash

IOWA CITY, Iowa - The Minnesota women's basketball team has turned heads with its improvement from a season ago. The Golden Gophers have matched their 2022-34 win total (11) before the New Year. 

They'll bring an eight-game winning streak into Saturday's matchup against No. 4 Iowa (12-1 overall, 1-0 Big Ten) at Carver-Hawkeye Arena (1 p.m. CT, BTN). It will be a major test in showing how far they've come as a program. 

Minnesota (11-1, 1-0) lost to No. 15 UConn, 62-44, on Nov. 19 in Minneapolis. It recorded wins at Kentucky and Purdue. 

The Gophers rank 37th in the NCAA Net Rankings heading into Friday's action. Iowa checks in at No. 7, showing the difference in these teams' strength of schedules. 

The Hawkeyes have won nine of the last 10 meetings in this series and hold a 56-27 all-time advantage. They took the only matchup last season, 87-64, in Iowa City. Iowa has won nine games in a row since falling to Kansas State on Nov. 16. 

Minnesota and Iowa have faced one common opponent this season. The Hawkeyes topped visiting Drake, 113-90, on Nov. 19. The Gophers edged the Bulldogs, 94-88, in double overtime on Dec. 2 at Williams Arena. 

Sophomore guard Mara Braun (20.3 PPG) has scored 20 or more points in Minnesota's last five games, the first Gopher to accomplishment the feat in the last five seasons. She's knocked down at least one three-pointer in 24 consecutive contests. 

Minnesota receives contributions from a balanced lineup beyond Braun. Grace Grocholski (10.7 PPG), Sophie Hart (10.2), Amaya Battle (9.9) and Mallory Heyer (9.3) give opponents plenty to think about in scouting. Heyer's 8.4 rebounds a game rank her fourth in the Big Ten and Battle is third in the league in assists (6.0). 

The Gopher starters play a lot of minutes with three of them averaging at least 30 a game. The Gophers utilize an eight-player rotation, for the most part. Sophomore Maggie Czinano, the sister of former Iowa All-America Monika Czinano, is one of the reserves. 

Iowa will be playing for the first time since a 98-69 victory against visiting Loyola-Chicago on Dec. 21. The Hawkeyes have defeated their last three opponents by at least 22 points. 

Hawkeye senior Caitlin Clark is the country's leading scorer at 30.5 points per game. Hannah Stuelke (13.9) and Kate Martin (12.0) also are averaging double figures. Clark and Stuelke combine for 14.5 rebounds a contest. 

GAME NOTES

-Last season, the Gophers were ranked 291st in the NCAA and 13th in the Big Ten in turnovers per game at 17.7 per game but through 12 games of the 2023-24 season are ranked 29th in the country and No. 4 in the Big Ten at 13.1. 

-Minnesota allowed their opponents to shoot just 48 percent around the rim (within 4.5 feet of the hoop) and is giving up the fewest paint PPG in the Big Ten at 22.5 points per game. The Division I average for field goal percentage around the rim is 57.1 percent. 

-The Gophers have had the same starting lineup of Battle, Braun, Grocholski, Heyer and Hart in all 12 games this season.

-Minnesota's fourth-quarter defense this season has allowed just 32.7 percent shooting from the field.

-Iowa has two AP Top 20 wins (Kansas State, Virginia Tech) this season. 

-Over the last nine years, Iowa has dropped the second-fewest regular season home games in the Big Ten.

-Clark is one double-double shy of reaching the Big Ten’s top-10 list for most career double-doubles (48). She needs five assists to surpass Sam Logic as Iowa’s all-time leader in that category.

-Iowa has the longest active streak in the nation scoring at least 80 points per game, doing so in four consecutive seasons. Oklahoma is second with three.