MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – Senior guard Dominique Johnson broke her own school-record with nine three-pointers en route to a career-high 35 points but it was not enough as the Towson University women's basketball team fell to the University of Minnesota, 105-86 on Sunday evening. Johnson's offensive explosion helped the Tigers tie the school record for team three-pointers in a single-game with 12.

THE BASICS
Minnesota 105, Towson 86
Williams Arena, Minneapolis, Minn.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Tigers and Golden Gophers were tied at 7-7 in the first quarter before Towson used an 11-0 run to take an 18-7 lead with 2:21 left in the stanza. That stretch featured back-to-back threes from Johnson and freshman guard AJ Timbers and gave Towson its largest lead of the game. A basket from junior guard Raven Bankston pushed the Tiger advantage to 20-12 with 1:16 left in the quarter. Minnesota (5-2) scored the final seven points of the quarter and cut the Towson lead to one, 20-19 after 10 minutes.
• Minnesota went on a 15-7 run to start the second quarter and took a 34-26 lead with 5:14 showing on the clock. Mikayla Bailey had a pair of three-pointers during that run. Eight straight points from Johnson cut the Minnesota lead to one, 35-34 with 3:57 to go before the half. The Golden Gophers pushed the lead back to nine, 45-36 with 1:51 to go in the stanza. Towson scored 10 of the final 13 points in the quarter and Minnesota took a 48-46 lead at the half. Bankston had four points during that closing stretch for the Tigers.
• Towson shot 41.5% from the floor in the first half and made eight three-pointers. Johnson led all scorers with 19 first half points. Minnesota shot 37.2% from the field in the first 20 minutes and made seven three-pointers. The Tigers held a 27-24 edge in the rebounding battle.
• Back-to-back triples from Johnson to start the third quarter gave Towson a 52-48 lead with 9:05 left on the clock. Minnesota called timeout and responded with a 17-6 run which gave the Golden Gophers a 65-58 lead with 3:33 to go in the quarter. Wagner led Minnesota with six points during that run that proved crucial. The two teams traded baskets over the closing three minutes of the quarter. Sophomore guard Breonn Hughey's basket with one second to go cut the Tiger deficit to five, 71-66.
• The two teams continued to fight and battle on both ends of the court in the fourth quarter. Wagner's three-pointer with 2:36 to go in the quarter gave Minnesota a 98-78 lead. Johnson tied her own school record with a three-pointer at 2:22 that made it a 98-81 game. She then broke the school record for three-pointers in a single-game and helped the Tigers tie the school record for team three-pointers in a single-game with her triple with 1:15 to play. A basket from Bankston at the buzzer made the final score 105-86.   

QUOTABLE

• "I'm extremely proud of my young ladies tonight and how they played tonight," said Towson head coach Niki Reid Geckeler. "They battled from beginning to end tonight and hopefully if we correct one or two things defensively this game is going to help us down the stretch. Dominique is very special and she had that energy from the beginning of the game to the end. She has a sense of urgency and I'm very proud of her especially considering how young our squad is and how she pulled her team along."

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• Johnson's nine three-pointers in the game broke her own school record of eight set against UNC Wilmington during the 2013-14 season. The nine triples are also tied for the second most in Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) single-game history.
• Johnson's 35 points were a career-high for the senior guard. She has now scored 30 or more points in a game, three times in her career. The 35 points are tied for the seventh most in single-game history at Towson and are the most points scored by a Tiger since Tanisha McTiller had 36 in a game against College of Charleston in 2014.
• Johnson also contributed four rebounds, six assists and two steals in the game.
• Bankston posted 25 points and five assists for the Tigers. It was the first time since January of last year that the Tigers had two players with 20 or more points in the same game.
• Towson tied the school record for three-pointers in a single-game with 12. It is the second time this season and third time overall that the Tigers have hit 12 threes in a game.
• Junior forward Brianna Bush pulled down a team and career-high seven rebounds.
• It was a game of threes as Towson hit 12 three-pointers and while Minnesota knocked down 15 threes.
• Five Minnesota players scored in double-figures as that group was led by Wagner who had 27 points and 10 rebounds.

The Tigers are now off for 13 days for finals, they return to the court on Sunday, Dec. 20 to host Auburn at 2 p.m.