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Eastern Illinois (8-2) at Minnesota (7-5)
Thursday, Dec. 22 at 3:30 PM CT
Minneapolis, Minn. (Williams Arena)
Live Stats
Watch Live
Radio: Hit Mix 88.9 FM
Media Guide (PDF)
Game Notes (PDF)

Panthers Take On The Golden Gophers
Eastern Illinois women's basketball heads to the twin cities to take on a Big Ten opponent in the Minnesota Golden Gophers in their final game before the start of Ohio Valley Conference play.  Tipoff is set for 3:30 PM CT.

Last Game
EIU snapped their two-game home skid with a 78-67 win over Central Michigan.  Lariah Washington scored 23 points on 8-of-15 shooting and dished out six assists.  Morgan Litwiller had 10 points and four rebounds and Macy McGlone had nine points and 11 rebounds and Julia Bengtson contributed off the bench with six points.

Player To Watch
Through ten games running the point for EIU, Miah Monahan has dished out 48 assists for an average of 4.8 assists per game, both of which rank third in the OVC.  She has also improved greatly as a shooter, averaging 8.4 points per game after averaging 3.6 points per game a season ago as a freshman.  She has scored 11+ points in four games this season, including a career-high 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting vs. Wright State and 15 points in EIU's last game vs. Central Michigan.  She has also boxed out effectively, as she is averaging 3.5 defensive rebounds per game and 3.8 rebounds per game, making her one of the better rebounding guards in the OVC.

Scouting The Golden Gophers
Minnesota is led by 5th-year head coach Lindsay Whalen.  The Golden Gophers are currently 7-5 overall on the season with their last two games being double-digit home wins over Chicago State (105-54) and Milwaukee (75-59).  Minnesota is led in scoring by freshman guard Mara Braun, who is one of five Golden Gophers averaging double figure points on the season with 19 points per game and 25 three-pointers on the season.  Sophomore forward Alanna Micheaux leads Minnesota on the boards with 7.1 rebounds per game and has four double-doubles on the season.  Freshman guard Amaya Battle leads the Golden Gophers with 4.7 assists per game.  As a team, Minnesota leads the Big Ten and ranks 29th in the nation with 43.8 rebounds per game.

Series History
Thursday will mark the third all-time meeting between the Panthers and the Golden Gophers.  EIU won the first meeting 73-72 in Lawrence, Kan. on December 2, 2000, but Minnesota won the next meeting 72-68 in Minneapolis exactly 20 years later on December 2, 2020.  Lariah Washington scored 22 points on 9-of-17 shooting and Morgan Litwiller contributed with eight points and four assists in the 2020 matchup.  They are the only two players from that game who saw the court and still remain on either team.

Upcoming
The Panthers will begin conference play against an OVC newcomer in the Lindenwood Lions on Thursday, December 29.  Tipoff is scheduled for 5 PM CT.