University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Travel to Northwestern on Thursday
1/10/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Minnesota Golden Gophers (10-6, 2-2 Big Ten)
vs.
Northwestern Wildcats (6-10, 0-3 Big Ten)
LOCATION Welsh-Ryan Arena (8,117) - Evanston, Ill.
DATE / TIME: Thurs., Jan. 11 / 7 p.m.
TELEVISION: none
RADIO / WEBCAST: KBEM-FM-88.5, KRDS 95.5 /
Gopher Radio Network / gophersports.com
Rita Maloney (play-by-play), Lynnette Sjoquist (analyst)
Golden Gopher Watch List — Jan. 11, 2007
• Minnesota Travels to Northwestern - Minnesota travels to Northwestern on Thursday, Jan. 11, hoping to move away from a .500 record in a positive direction. The Gophers are one of four teams at 2-2 in the Big Ten standings. Tip off is set for 7 p.m.
• Burst the Barn a Success - The Gophers drew a crowd of 11,121 for last Sunday’s “Burst the Barn” event at Williams Arena, the largest crowd in the Big Ten this season.
• Roysland Among Big Ten Leaders - Senior Kelly Roysland scored 20 points to lead Minnesota to a win over Wisconsin and currently ranked third in the Big Ten averaging 17.5 points per game.
• Gophers Getting Production in the Post - Ashley Ellis-Milan and Leslie Knight have provided the Gophers with a solid offensive punch from the post position in the last three games. Combined the Gophers’ starting frontcourt duo are averaging 24.7 points over the trio of contests.
Northwestern Next on Gopher Schedule
Minnesota (10-6, 2-2 Big Ten) continues its Big Ten schedule where Thursday games mean travel and Sunday games are at home. The Golden Gophers travels to Northwestern on Thursday, Jan. 11, for a 7 p.m. contest versus the Wildcats at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston. The Gophers evened their Conference record with a 71-53 victory over Wisconsin on Sunday. Northwestern was edged by Iowa, 63-61, at home in the Wildcats’ last outing.
One More Week Away From Their Studies
The Golden Gophers have two more games before returning to class for the second semester on Jan. 16.
Important Game as Gophers Back to .500
A Gopher win on Thursday would boost Minnesota above the .500 mark for the first time in the Big Ten season. After a disappointing loss to Iowa to kick off the Conference season, Minnesota has gone 2-1 with wins over Illinois and Wisconsin and a hard-fought effort but a loss nonetheless at No. 7/8 Ohio State. Minnesota and the Big Ten’s “I” teams - Illinois, Indiana and Iowa - are log-jammed at 2-2 in the league standings.
Gophers Look to Break Big Ten Road Losing Streak
Dating back to last season, Minnesota has lost its last four Big Ten road games. The Gophers’ last road win was at Illinois (64-49) on Feb. 2, 2006, before losses at Michigan State, Purdue and Wisconsin to end the 2005-06 Big Ten season. Both Michigan State and Purdue were ranked in the top 15 at the time. Then this season, Minnesota dropped its first Big Ten road game at No. 7/8 Ohio State.
Yes, That is a Purple Tint
Northwestern head coach Beth Combs dyed her hair purple after 3,000 tickets were sold for the Wildcats’ first Big Ten home game of the season last Sunday.
Minnesota Owns Biggest Crowd of the Season
Minnesota’s crowd of 11,121 that watched the Gophers defeat Wisconsin last Sunday is the largest crowd in the Big Ten this season. No other Big Ten school has hosted a game with an attendance of over 10,000 this season.
Gophers Shoot Over 50 Percent For First Time
Led by a starting frontcourt that hit 13-of-15 field goal attempts, Minnesota finally notched a game shooting over 50 percent from the floor when the Gophers finished with 50.9 accuracy clip in the win over Wisconsin. Leslie Knight made seven of her eight chances, while Ashley Ellis-Milan went six for seven. Hopefully the Wisconsin win will serve as a break-out game since the Gophers had failed to hit over 40 percent from the field in their previous five games.
Gopher Posts Establishing a Name for Themselves
Early on this season, the Gophers identity became somewhat of a guard-oriented team. Starting post players Ashley Ellis-Milan and Leslie Knight are out to change that a bit and have made impressive strides in making the Gophers’ post presence something to reckon with. The duo has contributed 20 or more points to the offensive punch in each of the last three games. Ellis-Milan and Knight have teamed to average 24.7 points per game in the stretch, topped by a combined 29-point effort in the win over Wisconsin.
Solid Shooting Reaps Rewards
As the Golden Gophers’ shooting percentage improves to will the assist totals. Behind seven dishes by Emily Fox and six by Brittany McCoy, Minnesota was credited with 18 assists on its 27 baskets versus Wisconsin. The Gophers’ tally is the second-best of the season to only a 19-assist outing versus Princeton.
Roysland Among the Big Ten Leaders
Senior guard Kelly Roysland has notched a pair of 20-plus scoring performances in the Gophers’ first four Big Ten games and averages 17.5 points per Conference game to rank third in the Big Ten. Roysland scored a career-high 27 points in the win over Illinois and added a 20-point outing versus Wisconsin. Roysland owns five games with over 20 points this season.
Gophers Win When They Score 70 Points
Though for a team with a defensive philosophy this statistic only makes sense it’s worthy of mention nonetheless. Minnesota has won 60 straight games, including 10 this season, when the Gophers have scored 70 or more points. One has to go back to the 2003 Big Ten Tournament and an 80-77 loss to Iowa to find the last time Minnesota tallied 70 yet lost.
Ellis-Milan Notched Double Versus Ranked Team
Redshirt freshman Ashley Ellis-Milan showed she wasn’t intimidated playing at an arena of a highly ranked opponent and against one of the finest players in the collegiate game today. Ellis-Milan collected her fourth double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 rebounds battling No. 7/8 Ohio State and All-American Jessica Davenport. The last freshman to record a double-double versus a ranked team was Janel McCarville, who accomplished the teat twice in her 2001-02 rookie season with the Gophers.
Minnesota Tops Big Ten in Double-Doubles
Minnesota may have the youngest team in the Big Ten, but the Golden Gophers also have the most players to post a double-double among the Conference teams this season. Four Gophers have tallied the honored double. Korinne Campbell, Ashley Ellis-Milan and Leslie Knight have collected double-double of the points/rebounds variety. Emily Fox added a double-double performance in points and assists.
Crashing the Glass to Fuel the Offense
Minnesota tops the Big Ten in offensive rebounds, snagging 18.0 per game. The Gophers hauled in 23 offensive rebounds versus Iowa, the seventh time in 2006-07 that Minnesota bettered 20 offensive boards. Ironically, all seven of those games were home contests.
Rookies Finding Success Early in Their Careers
The Gophers have enjoyed 27 double-digit scoring performances from their freshmen this season. Brittany McCoy tops all the Minnesota rookies with nine games scoring in double figures.
Double-Figure Rebounding Games Stacking Up
Led by Ashley Ellis-Milan’s seven double-figure games with 10 or more rebounds, Minnesota already has a total of 12 double-digit rebounding performances this season. Korinne Campbell has contributed four double-figure rebounding, while Leslie Knight chipped in one. Last season, the Gophers had a player grab 10-plus rebounds in just eight contests.
Rookies in Title Only
Minnesota’s freshmen no longer have the luxury of playing like rookies as the Big Ten season gears up. So far in 2006-07, the freshmen Golden Gophers have more than held their own. The Gopher freshmen have logged 55 percent of the minutes played as well as tallied 51 percent of the points scored this season. Starting forward Ashley Ellis-Milan tops the rookies with averages of 9.6 points in 27.6 minutes per contest. Guard Brittany McCoy adds 8.6 points in 29.1 minutes per game.
Roysland Countdown to 1,000 Begins
Senior Kelly Roysland is 69 points (has 931 career points) from becoming the 17th player in Minnesota history to score 1,000 points in a career. With 12 regular-season games remaining, Roysland would need to score a conservative estimate of 6.0 points per game to etch her name on the honored list.
Becoming an Inside and Outside Threat
Katie Ohm gives the Gophers a solid all-around contribution off the bench. Ohm is averaging 6.3 points per game while shooting an impressive 68.4 field goal percentage from inside the arc. From long range, Ohm has struggled a bit, shooting 22.9 percent on 11-of-48 three-point field goal attempts. Ohm has not missed a two-point field goal attempt since the Vermont game, nine games ago..
Ellis-Milan, Campbell Top Gopher Rebounders
Freshmen Ashley Ellis-Milan and Korinne Campbell are the two most effective rebounders on the Gopher roster. Ellis-Milan leads the team pulling down 8.2 rebounds per game. Campbell, who has as many offensive rebounds (61) as defensive rebounds (61), is next at 7.6 rebounds per game.
Crashing the Boards to Score Points
Minnesota is averaging 18.0 offensive rebounds (leads the Big Ten) per game resulting in the Gophers scoring an amazing 22.9 percent of their points (250 second chance points). The Gophers have scored 20 or more second chance points in five games this season, topped by 25 versus Princeton.
Scouting Northwestern
Northwestern owns a 6-10 record overall, 0-3 in Big Ten play. The Wildcats opened the season with wins in six of their first seven games but are now in the grip of a nine-game losing streak. Northwestern has allowed 80.3 points per game to Big Ten opponents this season but put together a solid defensive effort in its last outing by giving up just 63 points in a loss to Iowa. Senior A.J. Glasauer leads the Wildcats averaging 13.5 points per game. Junior Sara Stutz is the only other player in double figures at 12.5 points a game.
The Minnesota / Northwestern Series
Northwestern leads the series with Minnesota by a 29-22 margin. The Gophers, however, have won the last 12 games of the series.
