Gopher women set to play host to Michigan Thursday night

Coming off a five-point loss to Illinois on  Monday in a game that saw sophomore Rachel Banham score her 1,000th career point, the Gopher women’s basketball team will play Michigan Thursday evening at Williams Arena.

Minnesota is riding a four-game losing streak and will play a solid Michigan team that is 5-2 in the conference.

The Gophers’ 2-5 conference record places them in a tie for eighth place in the conference standings, compared to the Wolverines, who are tired for third.

Banham scored 37 points for Minnesota on Monday and will look to continue her hot performance against the Wolverines, but the rest of the Gopher lineup will need to play with similar intensity for them to beat Michigan.

Micaella Riche, who scored 11 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in Monday’s loss, has four or more offensive rebounds in four of the last five games but only made 3-of-10 shots while turning the ball over three times.

In Monday’s loss, the Gopher bench contributed nine points, but senior Leah Cotton had nine assists.