University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
Northwestern
GOPHER WOMEN CAPTURE FIRST BIG TEN VICTORY
1/21/2001 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Whalen, a freshman guard, was nearly unstoppable on offense hitting 14 of 17 field goal attempts. Her 31-point performance ties for the 10th-best single-game scoring output in Gopher history. Whalen joins former Gopher great Carol Ann Shudlick as the only Gophers to score over 30 points in a game during their freshman seasons. In addition to her 31 points, Whalen dished out six assists and snagged five steals.
The Gophers (8-9, 1-5) made their first eight shots of the game to build an early 18-9 lead five minutes into the game. Minnesota built an 18-point lead at halftime and shot 63 percent in the second half to expand its lead to as big as 36 points. The Gophers finished with a season-high 60 percent field goal percentage as a team, converting 33 of 55 attempts. The Gophers starting lineup of Whalen, Ozlem Piroglu, Kadidja Andersson, Kim Prince and Brandy Pickens combined to shoot 73 percent, missing just 11 of 41 shots attempted.
Piroglu chipped in 15 points and added a career-high 11 assists to post her second career double-double. Prince was the third Gopher in double figures, scoring 13 points.
While the Gopher offense clicked on all cylinders, their defense pressured the Wildcats into shooting 29 percent from the field and committing 26 turnovers. Northwestern's 47 points is the season low for the Gopher defense.
Minnesota continues its three-game homestand on Thursday when the Gophers play host No. 6-ranked and Big Ten leader Purdue at 7 p.m. in the Sports Pavilion.
