University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
Vermont
Minnesota Uses Big Second Half to Defeat Vermont
12/1/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Redshirt freshman Ashley Ellis-Milan posted a double-double with career highs of 20 points and 13 rebounds to lead Minnesota to a 74-59 victory over Vermont on Thursday in Williams Arena. The Golden Gophers improved to 6-2 on the season.
Two other Gopher freshmen also scored in double figures as Brittany McCoy added 11 points and Korinne Campbell chipped in 10.
The Catamounts jumped out to a 7-2 lead in the first four minutes. Minnesota responded with a quick 12-3 run behind six points from Ellis-Milan. The Gophers’ lead stretched to as many as nine points at 29-20 with 5:41 to go before the break.
But Vermont went on a run of its own, scoring six straight points to cut the lead to 29-23. May Kotsopoulos’ three-pointer with 1:14 to go gave the Catamounts a lead 32-31 with 1:14 to go. Ellis-Milan scored a basket underneath and was fouled. She missed the free throw, but Katie Ohm was there to clean up the rebound and make an easy basket to give the Gophers a 35-32 lead going into halftime.
Minnesota struggled early in the second half, hitting just one bucket and committing five turnovers in the first six minutes as the Catamounts took their biggest lead of the night at 41-37 with 13:17 remaining. A McCoy three-point play and then a Jordan Barnes basket erased the Gopher deficit and after the teams exchanged buckets, two McCoy free throws with 12:09 gave Minnesota the lead for good.
Vermont made one more run, hitting consecutive three-point field goals to get within two points of the Gophers at 52-50, but Minnesota answered with a 16-3 run to put the game out of reach. Campbell scored 10 points during the key stretch, including 4-of-4 from the free throw line.
Starting guards Kelly Roysland and Emily Fox each scored eight points. It was the first time this season that Roysland has not scored in double figures.
The Gophers dominated the boards, benefiting from a decisive 22-4 advantage in second-chance points. Minnesota finished with 23 offensive rebounds. Another positive statistic for the Gophers was their free throw shooting where they went 19-of-25 from the line for 76.0 percent. Vermont was just 8-16 for 50 percent.
Minnesota hosts Chicago State on Saturday at 6 p.m. in the Gophers’ final nonconference home game before the Christmas break.
