Over a nine-day stretch, Gophers women’s basketball freshman Tori McKinney has set a career high in points against Penn State, followed by a career high in assists at Wisconsin, followed by an 11-point fourth quarter that helped the Gophers rally past Illinois at Williams Arena on Sunday.
Gophers guard Tori McKinney named Big Ten freshman of the week
Tori McKinney is the first Gophers player to be selected Big Ten freshman of the week since Grace Grocholski last February.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
January 6, 2025 at 11:29PM
And now this: McKinney on Monday was named the Big Ten Conference’s freshman of the week.
This is the first such honor for McKinney from the conference. She has also been named freshman of the week by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association.
In three games — all conference victories — McKinney shot 43% from the field while averaging 14.3 points and made 16 of 18 free throws, including going 7-for-8 in the fourth quarter Sunday. She averaged 5.0 assists and 4.7 rebounds.
She is the first Gophers player to get the honor from the conference since Grace Grocholski last February.
A native of Minnetonka, McKinney scored 25 points against Penn State. Against Illinois, she scored all 11 of her points in Minnesota’s 28-13 fourth quarter that took the Gophers from eight down to a seven-point victory.
The Gophers (15-1, 3-1 Big Ten) host Rutgers (8-7, 0-4) at Williams Arena at 7 p.m. Wednesday night.
Tori McKinney has been a revelation for the Gophers, while Rutgers might counter with freshman Kiyomi McMiller.
