Gopher women upset No. 7 Penn State

The Gopher women’s basketball team led by one point at halftime but stormed away late in the second half to upset No. 7 Penn State at Williams Arena on Thursday, 89-81.

Micaella Riche led the Gophers with 24 points and Rachel Banham scored 23 in the win, but junior guard Sari Noga’s stat line was perhaps the most impressive as she made all six three-point attempts and finished with 19 points.

Minnesota shot lights out as a team, converting 67 percent of their field goal attempts and making 7-for-8 from long range compared to the Nittany Lions who made only 4-of-19 from beyond the arch.

Despite success scoring the ball, the Gophers committed 23 turnovers against 13 Penn State turnovers. But the sophomore Banham played a solid all-around game, adding five rebounds, seven assists, four steals and a block to another 20-plus point performance.

Tuesday’s game was also Senior Day for the Gophers as Minnesota will travel to Bloomington this weekend for a match up with the Hoosiers on Sunday to conclude the regular season.

The Big Ten Tournament starts on Thursday in Hoffman Estates, Ill.