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Women’s basketball: Gophers pick up the pace, rout winless Chicago State

john shipley, pioneer press
·3 min read

After her team suffered its only lopsided loss of the season last Saturday in Iowa City, Minnesota coach Lindsay Whalen had her team work on pace. She wanted the Gophers to play faster.

“Getting up the court quicker, cutting, harder screening — just doing things more intentionally, in everything we do — even in practice,” she said. “Everything is game speed. We worked on it a lot.”

In other words, the Gophers weren’t going to get a breather on Monday against a winless team from Chicago State. Whalen wanted her team to push the ball, move the ball and take good shots against the Cougars.

After a 105-54 victory at Williams Arena, Whalen was happy with the results.

Mallory Heyer led a deep, balanced effort with 19 points and nine rebounds, and Amaya Battle added eight points, 10 rebounds and four assists as the Gophers eclipsed the 100-point mark for the second time this season. Whalen put 12 players on the floor, nine of them for at least 15 minutes, and every one scored at least one basket.

“I wanted to come in here and focus on how we’re playing and how we’re going to set the tone,” Whalen said. “I feel good about this game. Not because of the final score. … I feel good about how we played.”

Minnesota had won only two of its past six games, but it was against teams with a combined 44-15 record, and the Gophers have already started a strong Big Ten schedule by splitting games against Penn State (win) and Iowa (loss). The Cougars, who brought with them an 11-game losing streak, were no match.

Jacia Cunningham led the Cougars with 14 points, and Yzabelle Laualofa Tevao had a team-high eight rebounds.

Mara Braun added 16 points and five assists, and Rose Micheaux chipped in with 13 points and eight boards. The Gophers’ 105 points were the most by a team coached by Whalen and surpassed this team’s previous high in a 101-99 victory over Lehigh on Nov. 13.

“They’re good. (We have) really good players,” Whalen said. “They shoot, they work. … It doesn’t just happen, you have to really work at it — and our players do.”

Minnesota outrebounded the Cougars 64-33, had 22 assists against 12 turnovers and recorded seven blocks — two each by Battle and Heyer. Maggie Czinano, a sophomore who missed nearly all of last season because of foot and eye injuries, had 10 points and seven rebounds in just 15 minutes.

Czinano also is playing power forward after starting her career as a wing.

“As the games go on, I think I find more and more how to fit my game into a new position,” she said. “And I think when your coaches and teammates have so much confidence in you, it really makes it easy.”

On a short turnaround from an 87-64 loss against No. 16 Iowa last Saturday night, the Gophers (6-5) started fast and had few lulls. They opened a 23-5 lead midway through the first quarter, and a 50-25 lead late in the second. With three seconds left in the third, Braun made 1 of 2 free throws to open that chasm to 86-44.

Back-to-back baskets by Angelina Hammond and Alexa Ratzlaff gave the Gophers a 102-52 lead with 1:58 remaining. The jump shot by Ratzlaff earned the freshman guard the first points of her career.

“It’s a long season, it’s been a long stretch,” Whalen said. “I was happy with the way everyone contributed so that we were able to do that and able to spread the minutes out as much as possible.”

The Gophers are host to Milwaukee (3-6) in the team’s annual field trip day on Wednesday. Tip off at Williams Arena is set for 11 a.m.

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