Gophers Open Season with 103-87 Win over Harvard
November 12, 2016

Carlie Wagner scored 27 points, and freshman Taiye Bello came off the bench to score 10 points and grab 12 rebounds (7 offensively) in 20 minutes as the Minnesota Gophers beat the Harvard Crimson 103-87 at Williams Arena in the first game of the season for both teams. Another freshman, Gadiva Hubbard, scored 16 points and had 8 assists and 5 steals for the Gophers.

Both teams shot nearly 50 percent from the field, and the Crimson made 16 of 30 three-pointers. However, the difference in the game came in turnovers—Harvard making 22 to only 9 for Minnesota—and trips to the free-throw line, where the Gophers were 19 for 27 while the Crimson made only 1 of three.

A flurry of lead changes in the early minutes were followed by the Gophers opening up double-digit leads, including 40-28. However, Harvard tied the score with 12 straight points on three-pointers by Taylor Finley, Sydney Skinner, Mackenzie Barta, and Finley again. (Finley and Barta are from the Twin Cities, Finley from Edina and a graduate of Providence Academy, and Barta from Maple Grove High School.)

“We thought they were getting a lot of looks when we were there but we were not necessarily putting enough pressure on the person that had the ball, we were almost daring them to shoot, so it wasn’t a case where we were always late,” said Minnesota coach Marlene Stollings. “We were late a few times but on some of those we were standing right there. We talked about putting more pressure on the ball in your area, whether you’re in the zone or man-to-man, and we need to rebound the ball. I thought those two things really ignited our transition.”

After a time out, Bello scored her first collegiate points for a 42-40 lead and the start of a 13-2 run that put Minnesota in front to stay.

In addition to the solid play by Bello and Hubbard, another freshman, Jasmine Brunson, started the game and scored 15 points. “I thought they made a great debut and really showed the crowd and Minnesota the style of play that they're going to bring to our team, and their hustle and their work ethic and everything that they do for us,” said Carlie Wagner of the trio. “I don’t think they could have had a better first game.”

For Harvard, Madeline Raster was high with 18 points, all on three pointers.

Minnesota now goes on the road to Virginia Commonwealth—where Stollings last coached—before returning home for weekend games against Georgetown and Seton Hall.

Gopher Holes: Minnesota now has an 8-0 record against schools from the Ivy League, including 4-0 versus Harvard.