University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
Harvard
Minnesota Women's Basketball Defeats Harvard
12/8/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
"This was easily our best performance of the season," said Golden Gopher head coach Pam Borton. "I knew it was only a matter of time before this team started to put the pieces together and play a full ballgame. We did today and it was dominating effort. What a great way to end a stretch of five straight road games."
Four Gophers finished in double figures, led by Lindsay Whalen with 25. Whalen scored 17 points in the first half to help Minnesota take a commanding 51-30 lead at halftime.
Kim Prince scored the Gophers? first five points of the game to fuel a 13-4 spurt to start the contest. Harvard (4-2) fought back with a 14-3 run of their own, including 10 straight points by junior forward and Brooklyn Park, Minn. native Hana Peljto. After Peljto capped off her scoring flurry with a three-pointer, bringing the Crimson to within two points at 18-16 at the 11:34 mark, the teams exchanged baskets before the Gophers took control with a poised attack in the last nine minutes of the half.
Minnesota held a 26-24 lead at that 9-minute mark, then stretched its lead with a 14-0 run in the next five minutes. The Gophers would tally another 7-0 run in the final two minutes of the half to take their halftime lead. In that 9-minute stretch, the Gophers outscored Harvard by a 25-6 margin.
The game's outcome was never in doubt in the second half. Minnesota flexed its muscle in the low post with Janel McCarville leading the charge with eight of her 14 points coming early in the second period.
McCarville led the Gophers to a 32-26 advantage on the boards, pulling down a team-high seven rebounds. McCarville and Whalen also tallied six steals apiece. Coach Borton was able to get her bench plenty of playing time in the last 10 minutes of the game.
Prince finished with 16 points and Corrin Von Wald with 15 to join Whalen and McCarville in double-digits scoring.
Minnesota's next game is Dec. 13, when the Golden Gophers play host to Missouri-Kansas City.
