University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
Indiana
GOPHER WOMEN LOSE TO INDIANA
1/4/2001 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Indiana improved to 3-0 in conference play and 12-2 overall with the victory, keeping pace with Penn State and Purdue for first-place in the Big Ten standings. Minnesota loses its third straight and falls to 7-6 overall and 0-2 to start the league season.
Hoosier center Jill Chapman scored all 17 of her points in the second half to rally Indiana from a 34-32 halftime deficit. Chapman was held scoreless on 0-for-7 from the field in the first half, but then came alive making 6-of-6 in the second half. The 6-5 junior, who was last week's Big Ten Player of the Week, also pulled down 10 rebounds for her third consecutive double-double.
Five of Chapman's points came during a 7-0 Hoosier run that gave Indiana its biggest lead at 63-54 with 6:19 remaining. During the stretch, Minnesota missed the front ends of three one-and-one opportunities from the free throw line.
Minnesota fought back to get within two points at 67-65 on a pair of Lindsay Whalen free throws with 4:04 left. After an Indiana miss, the Gophers had a chance to tie the game but Kim Prince was whistled for travelling. The game was never a one-possession contest after that point. Indiana's Rachael Honegger iced the game with a pair of free throws with 6.6 seconds left.
Four Gophers finished in double figures scoring, led by Whalen's 21 points, including a 9-for-9 performance from the free throw line. Tanisha Gilbert added 15, while Trish McGhee chipped in 11 and Prince 10. The Gophers were playing without starting point guard Ozlem Piroglu, who suffered a sprained right knee in practice on Wednesday and is expected out for 2-4 weeks.
The Gophers' next action is Sunday, when they host Michigan State at 2 p.m.
