Preview: Minnesota Golden Gophers at Penn State Lady Lions

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (Interstat) — The surging Minnesota women’s basketball team looks to continue its winning ways when it visits struggling Penn State in a Big Ten Conference matchup Wednesday night at Bryce Jordan Center.

The Golden Gophers (14-6) enter on a high note after a dominant 88-53 victory over Wisconsin on Sunday. They have won three of their last four games, with the only loss in that stretch a 10-point road defeat at Michigan.

Penn State (7-14) seeks to halt a prolonged slump. The Lady Lions have lost eight consecutive games, most recently an 89-59 defeat at Oregon on Saturday. Their last win came on Dec. 20 against VCU.

A key matchup will feature Minnesota’s Tori McKinney against Penn State’s Nyla McFadden. McKinney, a consistent offensive threat, is coming off a 20-point, 7-rebound performance against Wisconsin and has scored 20 or more points in two of her last five games. McFadden has been a bright spot for Penn State during its skid, averaging 9.9 points over her last seven contests. She led the Lady Lions with 15 points and six rebounds at Oregon.

Minnesota’s recent success has been fueled by balanced scoring. Alongside McKinney, guards Amaya Battle and Grace Grocholski each added 18 points in the rout of Wisconsin. The Golden Gophers have held opponents to 60 points or fewer in four of their last six wins.

Penn State’s defense faces a significant challenge, having allowed an average of 90.4 points during its eight-game losing streak. Offensive consistency has also been an issue, as the team has not surpassed 76 points in any game during the slide.

This is the first meeting between the programs this season. Minnesota will look to improve its standing in the conference race, while Penn State aims to find a spark to turn its season around.

Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. EST Wednesday. Minnesota visits Iowa next on Feb. 5. Penn State’s next game is at Purdue on Feb. 4.