Micheaux’s performance came on 11-of-16 shooting with four of her offensive boards coming on the offensive end. Micheaux’s 24 points and 14 rebounds are both career highs. Freshman Amaya Battle scored 11 points and added seven rebounds, six assists and a pair of steals. Maggie Czinano made her first career start for the Maroon and Gold, the sophomore shot 3-of-4 from the floor and had six points and five rebounds in a career high 26 minutes.
The Golden Gophers scored first on Illinois before the Illini scored seven straight to take an early 7-2 lead, which proved to be the run that kept the visitors ahead early. The two team’s exchanged shots for almost the entire rest of the quarter, resulting in a six-point lead for Illinois after 10 minutes. Both teams shots 8-of-16 from the floor, with Illinois hitting three of their threes.
The second quarter started quickly for Minnesota, scoring the first four points to cut the Illinois lead to just two. Illinois kept Minnesota from taking the lead, or tying, by scoring the next eight points to take the first double-digit lead of the game. Freshman Mallory Heyer ended the run with a three on the win, but Illinois allowed just one field goal the rest of the quarter to take a 14-point lead into the locker room.
Minnesota outscored the Fighting Illini 29-28 in the second half with both teams scoring 16 points in the third quarter and Minnesota edging the Illini 13-12 in the fourth. Micheaux was a force in the third, scoring eight of her points on 4-of-6 shooting. The Gophers continued to fight throughout the quarter, but could not get closer than 10 during the 10-minute period. The final quarter saw Illinois keep Minnesota at bay, with the closest Minnesota getting being 13 points multiple times.
As a team the Maroon and Gold shot 37.1 percent (23-of-62) from the floor and made just 3-of-16 from three. Micheaux shot seven of Minnesota’s 13 free throw attempts with the team shooting 8-of-13 from the charity stripe. The Gophers defense stepped up in the second half against the high-paced Illini who average over 80 points per game this season, holding the visitors to 32.4 percent from the floor in the second half and 38.8 percent for the game.
Next for Minnesota is a rematch with Penn State on Jan. 18, in State College. The Gophers defeated the Nittany Lions earlier this season in double overtime at Williams Arena, 98-96.
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Game Notes: Micheaux’s 14 rebounds tied her with Mallory Heyer for the most rebounds in a game this season… Maggie Czinano’s start was the first for the sophomore in her collegiate career and is the first start she has had in any game since her final high school game for Watertown-Mayer, which was 667 days ago.
