Snow was falling in Minneapolis Tuesday night and so were 3-pointers as freshman guard Sara Scalia poured it on to help the Minnesota Gophers handily beat the Bryant Bulldogs 101-56 at Williams Arena.
Scalia is known for her ability to spread the floor with her 3-point shooting but had not had a signature game from behind the arc in her young collegiate career. However, she showed her shooting skills Tuesday, connecting on four 3-point shots and scoring 20 points in only 29 minutes. Scalia also added seven rebounds and two steals.
Scalia was not the only Gopher who played well against the Bulldogs. Minnesota maintained a balanced offensive attack as three others scored double digits.
Senior forward Taiye Bello finished with her fourth double-double of the season, adding 10 points and 11 rebounds. Bello once again impressed on the defensive end as well with three blocks and three steals. Redshirt junior guard Gadiva Hubbard scored 18 points and had two steals.
Throughout the early part of the season, Scalia has not been the only freshman guard who significantly contributes for the Gophers. Jasmine Powell came off the bench to not only score, adding 14 points, but also distribute the ball, leading all players with seven assists.
Minnesota played well from start to finish, scoring within the first 20 seconds of the game and never losing the lead. The Gophers once again capitalized on turnovers, scoring 45 points off of 26 turnovers by the Bulldogs. Minnesota turned the ball over only eight times during the game.
The win for the Gophers marks the fifth consecutive victory after losing their season opener to Missouri State. Minnesota started off slowly in the first game of the season, struggling early on offense and scoring only 69 points, their lowest point total of the season. Since then, points have not been difficult for the Gophers to come by as they have averaged about 84 points per game in the last five games.
With the win, the Gophers finished their six-game homestand to open up the season and will now play three games away from the Barn. Next on the schedule, Minnesota will face Notre Dame on Wednesday, Dec. 4 in one of the toughest tests of the season. While they are not ranked as high this season, Notre Dame finished 35-4 with a 16-1 record at home last season.
