GOPHERS WOMEN’S BASKETBALL GAMEDAY
Gophers vs. Stony Brook: 2 p.m. Sunday at Williams Arena
TV; radio: Streaming on BTN Plus; 96.7-FM
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Kent Youngblood’s preview:
Opening bell: The Gophers take on the undefeated Seawolves, whose 5-0 start includes wins over Holy Cross, which advanced to the NCAA tournament last spring, and Columbia, which reached the WNIT championship game. This is the first of three quality mid-major opponents in a row for the Gophers — Norfolk State and Drake are the others — that were predicted to be in the NCAA tournament in the latest projection by ESPN analyst Charlie Creme. The Gophers are coming off a one-sided victory over Cal State-Northridge in which they shot 48.4% and had four players in double figures. Mara Braun hit five of nine three-pointers for 21 points in the game, a strong bounce-back from a difficult game in a loss to UConn.
Watch her: Stony Brook is led by Khari Clark, a graduate transfer post from Loyola Marymount who is shooting 72.9% while averaging 18 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. Grad transfer guard Gigi Gonzalez is averaging 13.4 points and 5.0 assists.
Forecast: This is a step up from Cal. State-Northridge but still a game the Gophers should be able to control. The Seawolves play good defense — holding teams to 33.5% shooting overall, 24.7% shooting on three-pointers and 49 points per game.
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