University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
Wisconsin
Gopher Women Lose to Wisconsin in Big Ten Quarterfinal
3/1/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Minnesota, entering the contest with its highest Big Ten Tournament seed ever - No. 3, fell to 1-9 in tournament play. Overall this season, the Gophers' record now stands at 21-7 as the Gophers lost two games in a row for the first time this season. Wisconsin, on the other hand, quite possibly secured an NCAA berth with the victory and improved to 19-10.
The Gophers suffered one of its worst offensive nights, shooting just 35.8 percent from the field. Only a 35.7 percent outing against highly touted Stanford in November was lower.
"Wisconsin came out with more energy, more hustle and more intensity than we did," said Minnesota head coach Brenda Oldfield. "You have to give them credit. They took away Whalen's transition game and we needed other people to step up."
Wisconsin shut down the Gophers? transition game completely, limiting Lindsay Whalen, the Big Ten Player of the Year, to just 12 points and only three baskets.
The teams played an ugly first half with neither team shooting over 40 percent. The half ended in a 32-32 tie. Wisconsin scored the first four points of the second half and never trailed thereafter. A Corrin Von Wald jumper tied the score once a 36, but the Badgers countered with a 9-2 run and took control of the game.
The Gophers closed to within five points several times, the last at 65-60 with 5:54 to go. Minnesota make two possession to cut further into the Wisconsin lead but came away empty handed.
Minnesota received a strong performance from Big Ten Freshman of the Year Janel McCarville, who posted her seventh double-double of the season with 18 points and 14 rebounds. Von Wald added 16 points. Whalen tallied a very quiet double-double of her own, with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
"They were more aggressive," said McCarville. "They had some shots fall for them and we didn't."
Wisconsin will face Penn State in one Big Ten semifinal on Sunday. Big Ten regular season champion Purdue meets Indiana in the other semifinal. The championship game is set for Monday at 7 p.m. (Eastern).
Minnesota awaits the announcement of the NCAA Tournament field on March 10.
