Banham’s 48 Points Lead Minnesota Past Milwaukee
March 16, 2016
Rachel Banham scored a Women’s National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) 48 points, but the Minnesota Gophers still struggled to get by the Milwaukee Panthers 87-80 in the first round of the WNIT. Banham, who scored 35 of her points in the second half (23 in the third quarter) also set a record for the most points ever scored in a game at Williams Arena.
After the game Minnesota coach Marlene Stollings read the names of players Banham had just passed on the career scoring list: Cheryl Miller, Chamique Holdsclaw, Maya Moore, and Elena Della Donne. “It’s weird,” Banham said after hearing the names of some players she had grown up admiring. “It doesn’t hit me right now.”
In 2015-2016—her senior year after having missed most of a season with a knee injury’Banham has already had performances of 60 and 52 points, both on the road. Against the Panthers, she had the chance to awe the home crowd. In her third-quarter burst, Banham made nine field goals, a pair of them three-pointers, and made three of four free throws. She added four more buckets from the field and four from the line in the final period.
Banham’s performance made up for a poor shooting night by sophomore Carlie Wagner, who missed all 10 of her field-goal attempts in the first half and was 3 for 19 in the game. However, Wagner’s first field goal, a three-pointer two-and-a-half minutes into the third quarter, put the Gophers ahead 45-44 and gave them a lead they never let go of.
Sophomore Steph Kostowicz maintained a stolid inside presence for the Panthers, leading her team with 30 points and all players with 11 rebounds. She scored Milwaukee’s first nine points closed the first half with a three-point play with one second left to bring her total to 18 points and give the Panthers a 39-38 lead.
Minnesota came out in the second half attacking the basket while also forcing a flurry of turnovers from Milwaukee, a team that normally protects the ball well. The Gophers built a 12-point lead at 78-66 with 6 minutes left in the game, but Kostowicz and junior guard Sierra Ford-Washington, who attended Richfield High School, helped the Panthers come back.
A three-pointer by Jenny Lindner cut the Minnesota lead to 82-80 with 1:50 remaining. Milwaukee forced a turnover and got the ball inside to Kostowicz, but this time the big forward couldn’t finish, and the Gophers got the ball back.
Banham capped her scoring with a driving lay up with 1:07 left, and the Gophers hung on to advance to the second round for a game against the South Dakota Coyotes at Williams Arena. Home fans will get perhaps their last chance to watch Banham, now sixth on the all-time women’s scoring list with a chance to keep climbing up, especially if the Gophers continue to advance in the tournament.
“She continues to annihilate records,” said Stollings.