University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
Tulane
Women's Basketball Defeats Tulane; Advances to NCAA Second Round
3/22/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
"This game featured two teams playing swarming defense," said Minnesota head coach Pam Borton. "I was very pleased with our defense in the second half, holding Tulane to 20 points."
Lindsay Whalen led all scorers with 18 points, all of them scored in the second half. Freshman point guard Shannon Schonrock played all 40 minutes and tied a career-high with 12 points. Kadidja Andersson was the third Gopher in double figures, scoring 10 points.
The 48 points scored by Tulane is a season-low for the Gopher defense. Tulane shot just 38.2 percent from the field and turned the ball over 22 times. Minnesota shot 54.3 percent from the floor but a tight Green Wave defense forced the Gophers into 20 turnovers of their own.
" Shannon Schonrock did not play like a freshman today, playing 40 minutes and stepping up and hitting some big shots for us," added Borton. " Lindsay Whalen hit some great shots and that's what great players do."
After foul trouble placed Gopher starter Corrin Von Wald on the bench for the final 13 minutes of the first half, Tulane took advantage and grabbed a 28-27 lead at the half. Minnesota struggled with Tulane's tight defense, turning the ball over 12 times. Whalen struggled as well, going scoreless and taking just three shots from the field. Seven other Gophers did score, led by Schonrock, who tallied eight first-half points.
"I didn't want to force things in the first half," said Whalen. "Their pressure defense got to us and we haven't seen that kind of defense for a while. I think it just took us a while to adjust and get used to it."
Tulane extended their lead to 30-27 before the Gophers hit their next six shots. Back-to-back Whalen three-pointers started an 8-0 run that broke a 35-35 tie and provided the Gophers with an eight-point lead at 43-35.
A Whalen steal and layup with 10:48 remaining gave Minnesota a double-digit lead that the Gophers would not relinquish. Minnesota made 14-of-24 field goal attempts (58.3 percent) in the second half.
"I knew I would eventually get some open looks at the basket and fortunately it happened in the second half and I was able to knock some shots down," said Whalen.
Minnesota advances to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the third time in its three tournament appearances. The Gophers have never won a round-round contest and face Stanford, a team with a 26-game home winning streak.
