Career day from Tori McKinney leads Gophers to dominant destruction of Penn State

It looked easy for Minnesota on Saturday afternoon.

Jan 14, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers head coach Dawn Plitzuweit reacts during the second half against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Williams Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images / Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

After eight days off, Gophers women's basketball hosted Penn State for their first Big Ten home game of the season at Williams Arena. There was zero rust for Minnesota, who cruised to an easy 90-54 win.

The Nitany Lions carried a 9-3 record into Saturday's game, and looked like the Gophers' toughest opponent to play at the Barn so far this season. It did not seem like much of a test, as Minnesota quickly jumped out to a 24-9 lead after 10 minutes of play.

True freshman forward Tori McKinney had an impressive first half, with a game-high 15 points, as the Gophers shot 17-32 (53.1%) from the field and 5-9 (55.6%) from three as a team. Annika Stewart added 10 points off the bench and Minnesota led 44-18 heading into the locker room.

.@tori_mckinney_ for 3️⃣!#Gophers 5, Nittany Lions 0 pic.twitter.com/C88b7JMPB5

— Minnesota Women's Basketball (@GopherWBB) December 28, 2024

Minnesota carried its momentum in the second half, outscoring Penn State 25-16 in the third quarter. McKinney, Stewart and Amaya Battle continued to lead the Gophers in the second half, as they made easy work of Penn State.

The Gophers made a solid Penn State team look like they didn't belong on the same floor, cruising to a 90-54 win. It was their sixth win by 30 or more points at the Barn this season, as they move to 13-1 on the season.

McKinney finished the day with a career-high 25 points, five rebounds and four assists on 7-12 shooting from the field, a 3-7 mark from three-point range and a perfect 8-8 day from the free throw line. Battle added 17 points, while Stewart also had 15.

The Gophers are now 1-1 in Big Ten play. They will look ahead to a border battle matchup with Wisconsin on the road on New Year's Eve at 3:30 p.m. CT.

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