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Dins
Matthew Brooks
45
Western Ill. WIU 0-1,0-0 Summit League
75
Winner Minnesota MINN 1-0,0-0 Big Ten
Western Ill. WIU
0-1,0-0 Summit League
45
Final
75
Minnesota MINN
1-0,0-0 Big Ten
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Western Ill. WIU 9 6 10 20 45
Minnesota MINN 17 21 17 20 75

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | | WIU Athletic Communications

Dins Sets Career-Best Mark in Loss to Minnesota

Making the first start in her WIU career, Alissa Dins grabbed 12 rebounds to surpass her previous career-high of 10.

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – Leatherneck women's basketball opened the regular season on Monday (Nov. 7), falling 45-75 to the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Williams Arena. Western is back on the road for its next game on Friday (Nov. 11) before returning to Western Hall next Monday (Nov. 14) to host Eastern Illinois.
 
"There were a lot of positives. Their length and pressure got to us more than I thought it would and they pressured more than I thought… but we really fought," head coach JD Gravina said. "These are the kind of games that can get away from you – look around the nation and some of these scores can be something like 100-40… but we competed. We rebounded pretty well given their size and it was nice to get in a better offensive flow in the second half."
 
Zareia Chevre, Anna Deets and Alissa Dins all joined the starting five for the first time in their collegiate careers as the Leathernecks jumped out to a quick 5-2 lead thanks to a Jada Thorpe three-pointer and lay-in by Chevre. Both teams traded buckets as the quarter progressed by Minnesota went on a 7-0 run to close the first quarter and took a 17-9 lead. The Golden Gophers got hot during the second period of play and built a 20-point advantage at half, leading 35-25.
 
The WIU defense had a strong third quarter, holding Minnesota's offense to just 6-18 (33.3%) shooting, but the Leatherneck offense struggled much like it did in the first two quarters, and the Golden Gophers took a 30-point lead into the fourth quarter.
 
Western's offense came alive in the final period of play, going on a quick 12-2 run that was fueled by efficient free-throw shooting; Western made 5-6 at the line during that 4:13 stretch of game. Zareia Chevre hit a three-pointer with 4:53 to go that cut Minnesota's lead to 19 but UM responded and later finished the game on a 14-3 run and see out a 45-75 finish in favor of the Golden Gophers.
 
Jada Thorpe led all Leatherneck scorers with eight points while Chevre finished with six points, eight rebounds, one assist and one steal. Alissa Dins scored six and added a career-high 12 rebounds while also tying a career-high with two blocks. Elizabeth Lutz and Anna Deets both finished with five points and combined for six assists, and Carla Flores scored two in her official return to action. Mallory McDermott finished 1-3 from deep in nearly 16 minutes of action while Kennedy Flanagan's lone bucket of the game ignited Western's 12-2 run to start the fourth quarter.
 
"Alissa and Z really impressed, their rebounding was huge for us. For Alissa to get 12 rebounds against a team of that size and Z to go in there and really rebound hard – that's something we hoped she would do – it was really nice to see," Gravina said.
 
All three true freshmen played, making Monday's game their official collegiate debuts. Addi Brownfield played over 16 minutes and scored four points, grabbing three rebounds and finishing with a team-leading two steals. Allie Meadows played just over 13 minutes and was 1-1 from deep with two rebounds and a steal, while Lily Randgaard played nine minutes.
 
"I know she didn't get some shots to fall but I like what Addi does out there. I think she and Allie are going to be a really good part of our team moving forward," Gravina said. "They move the ball, move without the ball, and I thought they both got some good shots. It was nice to see Addi get to the free throw line too."
 
Western's bench players came up big, outscoring the Golden Gopher bench 15-13 while scoring 10 points on the fast break. The Leatherneck defense finished with six steals and generated 14 turnovers while limiting Minnesota's offense to 7-25 (28%) shooting from deep.
 
"I thought our matchup zone bothered them just a little bit. They were getting decent shots but not great shots and that's kind of part of that defense – make them hit tough 15-foot baseline shots," Gravina said. "Against a high major opponent, you're trying not to let the flood gates open and I thought we did a good job of bending but not breaking."
 
The Leathernecks are back in action on Friday (Nov. 11), heading to Evansville, Ind., to face Southern Indiana, before coming home for the first time in the 2022-23 season on Monday (Nov. 14). Tip-off for both games is scheduled for 6 p.m.
 
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