University of Minnesota Athletics
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Kansas
WBB: Gophers Rally to Defeat Kansas 62-45
12/5/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
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No. 18/18 Minnesota held Kansas to just 12 second-half points to overcome a first-half deficit and win going away in a 62-45 victory at Williams Arena on Sunday. The Golden Gophers improved to 6-1 on the season, while Kansas fell to 3-3.
"This was certainly a tale of two halves," said Golden Gopher head coach Pam Borton. "We did not execute our game plan on either end of the court in the first half. We turned it around behind some solid performances from players such as Liz Podominick."
Podominick celebrated her 20th birthday with an impressive performance of 14 points and seven rebounds. Ten of her 14 came in the second half, including a stretch of four straight points that proved large in a Minnesota 17-0 run.
The 6-2 sophomore pulled down an offensive rebound as was fouled and sank a pair of free throws that knotted the score at 37-all. Podominick gathered a nice pass from Janel McCarville and banked in a left-handed lay-in to give Minnesota its first lead of the game with 14:09 left to play.
The Gophers held the Jayhawks scoreless for seven minutes as they turned a seven-point deficit (30-37) into a double-digit lead at 47-37 at the 10:53 mark. Minnesota, who had turned the ball over 10 times in the first half, went the first nine minutes of the second half without a miscue. Minnesota shot 53.6 percent in the second half and committed just three turnovers to expand its lead to 17 points by the game's completion. McCarville led the Gophers with 15 points, along with nine rebounds, six assists, four steals and three blocks. Shannon Schonrock added 13 points and five assists.
The Gophers were as cold as ice to start the game, scoring just one bucket in their first 10 possessions. Kansas started the game hitting on all cylinders. After hitting a trio of three-pointers to start the game, the Jayhawks hit 8-of-12 shots to build a 19-4 lead eight minutes into the ballgame. Minnesota chipped the Kansas lead to six points at 33-27 by halftime.
Minnesota's next action is Wednesday, when the Gophers travel to Wisconsin-Green Bay.
