Gophers women’s basketball faces Frese’s remade Terrapins

GOPHERS WOMEN'S BASKETBALL GAMEDAY

Friday: 1 p.m. at Maryland * BTN Plus, Radio: 96.7-FM

Minnesota update: After playing five games in 13 days and dealing with finals, the Gophers are coming off a week that included a holiday break as they re-enter Big Ten play. Minnesota (8-5 overall, 1-1 Big Ten) gets just this one regular-season crack at Maryland this year. Gophers coach Lindsay Whalen is looking for her first victory vs. Maryland (0-5). F Mallory Heyer has averaged 13.7 points and shot 54.4% in her last six games. C Rose Micheaux has averaged 13.0 points and 6.3 rebounds in her last three games. The Gophers lead the Big Ten in total rebounding (43.5) and are second in offensive rebounds (13.8).

Maryland update: Like the Gophers, the transfer portal had a massive effect on the Terrapins (10-3, 1-1). After going 23-9 overall, 13-4 in the Big Ten and advancing to the NCAA regionals, coach Brenda Frese had five players transfer out, including her two top scorers in Angel Reese (who went to LSU) and Ashley Owusu (Virginia Tech) and Mimi Collins (North Carolina State). Hitting the portal hard herself, Frese attracted five players: Abby Meyers (Princeton), Elisa Pinzan (South Florida), Allie Kubek (Towson), Brinae Alexander (Vanderbilt) and Lavender Briggs (Florida) to go with returners Diamond Miller and Shayanne Sellers. Miller (18.3), Sellers (14.2) and Meyers (14.1) lead the team in scoring. Maryland's losses include a 25-point setback vs. No. 1 South Carolina, to DePaul, and a 23-point loss to Nebraska. But the Terrapins have beaten ranked teams Notre Dame, Baylor and Connecticut.