University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
Drake
Janel McCarville Powers Golden Gophers to Victory at Drake
11/25/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
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Janel McCarville powered the No. 11/9 Minnesota to a 73-50 victory over Drake in the Golden Gophers' first road game of the season, played in Des Moines, Iowa on Tuesday. McCarville posted her second double-double of the season with 22 points and 13 rebounds.
McCarville, a 6-2 junior center, helped the Golden Gophers (3-0) set the tone for the game early collecting seven offensive rebounds in the first half. McCarville's inside presence, along with the outside shooting of point guard Shannon Schonrock, who hit three early three-point field goals, paced Minnesota to a 45-22 halftime lead.
"Any win on the road is a good win," said Golden Gopher head coach Pam Borton. "You can't expect to always have your offense in sync on the road so you need to rely on your defense to come through for you. We also proved that we don't need Lindsay (Whalen) to score 20 points to win a game."
The Gophers also used a stifling defense to force Drake (0-2) into 16 first-half turnovers that resulted in 18 points. Of those 16 turnovers, 10 were Gopher steals, four coming from Lindsay Whalen.
The Bulldogs made a slight push early in the second half, closing to within 16 points at 53-37 but the rally was ended by Schonrock's fifth and sixth three-pointers of the night. Schonrock collected her third career-high scoring game in as many outings this season finishing with 20 points. Beyond the arc, she was an impressive 6-for-10.
McCarville continued her dominance in the second half as well making 5-of-6 shots from the field, adding two more offensive rebounds to finish with nine for the game and picked up four blocked shots. Her double-double marks the second consecutive game with the honor and the 18th of her career.
Whalen added 14 points on 6-of-10 from the floor, while contributing four rebounds and four assists.
In other news, Minnesota moved up to No. 9 in the ESPN/USA Today Poll released today. The No. 9 ranking equals the highest ranking in a national poll in school history. The Gophers were also ranked No. 9 on Jan. 6, 2003 in the Associated Press Poll.
Minnesota's next action is Friday at the Junkanoo Jam in the Bahamas versus Texas A&M.
