Kenisha Bell scored 23 points as Minnesota (9-7, 0-3 Big Ten) lost 78-62 at Indiana (12-4, 2-1 Big Ten). The Gophers started to rally in the fourth, but were hampered by a slow start. Minnesota outscored the Hoosiers 39-35 in the second half, but trailed 42-23 at halftime.

Bell was one point off her season high and two away from her collegiate career high. She added nine rebounds and four steals, and shot 7-for-9 from the free throw line.

Carlie Wagner also scored in double figures with 11 points. Whitney Tinjum had nine points and nine rebounds, and Bryanna Fernstrom had seven points, 11 rebounds and three blocks.

The Gophers outrebounded Indiana 47-40, but turned the ball over 22 times. The Hoosiers shot 10-for-23 from 3-point range while the Gophers made one triple.

Alexis Gassion led Indiana with 26 points. Tyra Buss and Amanda Cahill added 13 and 12, respectively.

How it happened

Minnesota shot just 2-of-15 in its lowest-scoring quarter of the season, with a coast-to-coast layup from Bell and a put-back basket from Palma Kaposi. Although the Gophers held a 16-9 rebounding advantage that included six offensive rebounds, Minnesota could not capitalize. Indiana scored 10 points off Minnesota’s eight turnovers and the Gophers trailed 17-6 at the end of the period.

The Gophers shot an improved 50 percent (7-for-14) in the second quarter. Bell and each Wagner each made jumpers and drove to the basket, and Bell had six points in the second. However, Indiana increased its lead to 42-23 at the break. After making three 3-pointers in the first, the Hoosiers continued to hit from outside and went 7-for-12 from 3-point range in the half.

Bell scored 13 points in the third as the Gophers outscored the Hoosiers 20-15. Indiana led 57-43 heading into the fourth.

Five straight points by Wagner, including a three-point play, and a layup by Tinjum after a Bell steal brought the Gophers’ deficit to 66-55 at the 5:27 mark, the closest since the start of the second quarter. Indiana answered with a 5-0 run, and maintained a double-digit lead for the rest of the game.

More notes

• Bell has five 20-point games this season and has scored at least 10 in all of her games for Minnesota.

• Wagner moved into 14th on the Gophers’ all-time career scoring list with 1,289 points. She passed Ashley Ellis-Milan.

• Fernstrom has blocked 10 shots in her first three games as a Gopher. She has double-digit rebounds in two of those games.

• Tinjum has recorded nine or more rebounds in three of her last four games, and has scored nine points two games in a row.

• Gadiva Hubbard, who entered the day as the Big Ten’s top-scoring freshman (13.8 points per game), missed her fourth game with mono.

Coming up next

The Border Battle between Minnesota and Wisconsin will be this Saturday at Williams Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 5 p.m., and Wisconsin native Karley Barnes will be the featured Gopher for postgame autographs.