WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
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Big Ten CommunicationsPublished: 11/21/2023, Last updated: 3/15/2024
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Big Ten Weekly Women's Basketball Central - Nov. 21-27

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BIG TEN WOMEN'S BASKETBALL  |  BIG TEN STANDINGS  |  BIG TEN SCHEDULE & RESULTS

2023-24 BIG TEN STATISTICS (XML)  |  2023-24 BIG TEN STATISTICS (PDF) |  2023-24 BIG TEN MEDIA GUIDE

NCAA STATISTICS  |  NATIONAL TOP 25 POLLS (NOV. 20-21)

BIG TEN WEEKLY RELEASE - NOV. 21

  • Big Ten fans are in for a treat with several high-profile matchups on the agenda, including a clash between No. 21/19 Indiana and No. 19/21 Tennessee on Thanksgiving Day (6 p.m. ET on FOX). Northwestern faces No. 13 Florida State Wednesday and has a potential matchup with No. 4/3 Stanford on Friday. Penn State takes on No. 8/10 USC Wednesday night before Maryland challenges No. 23/25 Washington State to kick off Thanksgiving Day action for the Big Ten.

  • The Big Ten continues to have a strong presence with three Top 25 teams in the Associated Press poll and four in the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA)/USA Today poll. Iowa sits at No. 5 in the AP poll, followed by No. 15 Ohio State and No. 21 Indiana with Maryland and Michigan receiving votes. The coaches’ poll also has Iowa (6th), Ohio State (12th) and Indiana (19th) ranked with the addition of Maryland (24th) and Michigan garnering votes.

  • As a team, Michigan State leads the country in field goal percentage (.590), assists per game (27.8) and three-point percentage (51.2) while ranking second in scoring margin (46.5) and fourth in scoring offense (99.0). Northwestern’s 23.5 assists per game (5th) and Illinois’ .529 field goal percentage (3rd) are also among the top marks in the nation.

  • Individually, Caroline Lau (NU) is averaging 10.5 assists per game, the best in the country. Taylor Thierry (OSU) is shooting 83.3 percent from the field to rank third, Julia Ayrault (MSU) stands second in blocks per game (3.75) and Caitlin Clark’s (IOWA) 31.0 points per game is the highest mark.

  • Minnesota’s matchup with No. 8/8 UConn on Nov. 19 entertained 10,869 fans inside Williams Arena, the Golden Gopher’s first time hosting over 10,000 fans for a game since 2018 and 24th time in program history.

  • Iowa’s Caitlin Clark scored 35 points against Drake on Nov. 19 for her 39th career game with 30-plus points, surpassing Kelsey Plum to become the NCAA leader. She also recorded her 44th career game with at least 25 points, five assists and five rebounds, an NCAA-best.

  • It was a record-setting night on Nov. 16 when Michigan State defeated Detroit Mercy, 105-44. The Spartans shot 70.9 percent from the field (39-for-55) to break the school record for field goal percentage in a game, dating back to 1986 against Bowling Green. The squad also tied the program record for assists with 34 helpers.

  • Illinois recorded its fourth-highest attendance in program history as 11,563 fans packed the State Farm Center on Nov. 15. The Fighting Illini took down Saint Peter’s, 103-33, for the third-largest margin of victory (70) in program history.

  • Makenna Marisa had a 34-point outing versus Kansas on Nov. 13 to tie for second all-time in career 30-point games (8) at Penn State.

  • When Iowa topped Drake, 113-90, the Hawkeyes scored the second-most points in program history. With the victory, head coach Lisa Bluder is only two wins shy of 500 career wins at the institution.

  • ESPN2 drew 548,000 viewers during its Nov. 9 broadcast of No. 3/3 Iowa defeating No. 8/5 Virginia Tech, a 208% increase compared to last November’s weekday women’s college basketball average.

  • Five Big Ten teams rank in the top-18 in average attendance. Iowa paces the conference with 14,998 fans per game, the second-best average in the country. Indiana is sixth (8,406), Illinois is 10th (7,122), Nebraska is 13th (5,491) and Purdue is 18th (5,113).