By Jacob Keith | @JacobKeith55
Sports Capital Journalism Program
INDIANAPOLIS – When looking at the Minnesota women’s basketball statistics, it is impossible to miss the impact made by Jasmine Powell and the freshman class. With the productivity these players bring, it is hard to overlook the performances from seniors Taiye Bello and Jasmine Brunson. Together, they helped lead the 11th-seeded Gophers to a 85-65 win over Penn State in the first round of the Big Ten Women’s Tournament.
Powell, the point guard and one of two freshman starters, scored 16 points with five assists.
Bello, a forward, scored 16 points with 13 rebounds and three blocked shots, her 12th double-double this season, second most in the Big Ten. During the regular season, she averaged 9.6 rebounds per game, which was first in the conference. Brunson, a guard, led the Gophers with 20 points on 7-of-12 shooting with six assists.
Minnesota (16-14) advanced to a second-round game against No. 6 Ohio State Thursday night. The Gophers have a record of 6-9 in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament and an overall record of 11-26. Penn State (7-23) ended its season with the most defeats since losing 24 games in 2014-15.
Powell, Sara Scalia, Klarke Sconiers and Barbora Tomancova had a combined average of 26.5 points per game, the highest among freshmen in Minnesota history.
The first quarter was a three-point clinic for the Gophers. Since Penn State was running zone, Minnesota had nine looks from 3 and sunk four of them.
The second quarter was not as smooth for Minnesota. According to coach Lindsay Whalen, “At the end of the second quarter, they [Penn State] were just getting whatever they wanted.”
After the second quarter, Minnesota got out of its first-half slump and went to work. Not only did the Gophers shoot 11 for 21 from behind the arc, they had five players – Brunson, Bello, Powell, junior guard Gadiva Hubbard and senior guard Masha Adashchyk — end up with double-digit points.
When Powell was in the game, Minnesota upped the tempo and pushed the ball on fast breaks.
“I think it’s what I try to do every game,” Powell said. “I think that changing the pace is just part of my game.”
Whalen had high praise for Powell, saying, “She’s like a sparkplug and she was someone who was in the game all night.”
Powell said she was a little nervous at the start of her first Big Ten tournament game. “I just tried to get rid of the butterflies,” Powell said, “and when I did, I think there was a big difference between the first half and second half.”
Whalen also said, “It’s been fun to see her grow and it’s been fun to see her maturity continue to grow this year.”
