University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Host Penn State on Sunday
1/20/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Minnesota Golden Gophers (11-8, 3-3 Big Ten)
vs.
Penn State Lady Lions (8-10, 2-4 Big Ten)
LOCATION Williams Arena (14,625) - Minneapolis, Minn..
DATE / TIME: Sun., Jan. 21 - 2 p.m.
TELEVISION: Fox SportsNet North
Marney Gellner (play-by-play), Andrea Lloyd Curry (analyst)
RADIO / WEBCAST: WCCO-AM 830, 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. 21, 2007
• Minnesota Hosts Penn State on Sunday - Minnesota (11-8, 3-3 Big Ten) plays host to Penn State on Sunday, Jan. 21, at 2 p.m. in Williams Arena.
• Fox SportsNet North To Televise Sunday’s Game Live - The Minnesota / Penn State game on Sunday will be televised live by Fox SportsNet North. Marney Gellner will call the action, while Andrea Lloyd Curry will provide color commentary.
• Roysland 33 From 1,000 - Senior Kelly Roysland is 33 points away from scoring the 1,000th point in her Golden Gopher career.
• Four Inducted in Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame - Four former Golden Gopher standouts will be inducted into the Minnesota Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame on Sunday. The class of 2007 is Marty Dahlen McKelvey (1978-82), Mary Manderfeld (1979-91), Carol Peterka (1982-86) and Molly Tadich (1983-87).
Gophers Host Penn State on Sunday
Minnesota (11-8, 3-3 Big Ten) plays host to Penn State on Sunday, Jan. 21, at 2 p.m. in Williams Arena. The Golden Gophers are 2-1 in Big Ten games on their home court. Penn State (8-10, 2-4 Big Ten) had a bye on Thursday, while Minnesota suffered a 64-54 loss at Illinois.
Minnesota / Penn State Televised
The Minnesota / Penn State game will be televised live by Fox SportsNet North. Marney Gellner will call the action, while Andrea Lloyd Curry will provide color commentary.
Gophers Induct 2007 Hall of Fame Class on Sunday
Four former Golden Gopher standouts will be inducted into the Minnesota Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame on Sunday. The class of 2007 is Marty Dahlen McKelvey (1978-82), Mary Manderfeld (1979-91), Carol Peterka (1982-86) and Molly Tadich (1983-87).
Sunday Opponents Come in Rested
Penn State will be Minnesota’s third consecutive Sunday opponent to come into the game after a week off or Big Ten bye. The Gophers’ Jan. 7th opponent was Wisconsin and their Jan. 14th opposition was South Dakota State. Penn State has not played since last Sunday when the Lady Lions defeated Michigan by a 65-51 count.
Defense of Home Court Essential
The top four teams in the Big Ten standings, as of Jan. 18, are 11-2 on their home courts. Minnesota is 2-1 at home in league play this season heading into an important contest Sunday in Williams Arena versus Penn State.
Big Games, Crowds When Lady Lions Come to Town
Some of the most exciting games over the past few years have when the Lady Lions of Penn State have visited Williams Arena. Minnesota and Penn State have played only three times in Williams Arena since the Gophers moved permanently into The Barn in 2002. Minnesota won each of those games and by a combined victory margin of 13 points. In addition, those three games drew crowds among the top 13 in school history, including a Minnesota record crowd of 14,363 on Feb. 14, 2004. The average attendance in Minnesota’s last three games versus Penn State in Williams Arena is an impressive 12,776.
First Semester Team Report Card a Good One
The Golden Gophers compiled an impressive 3.04 team grade point average in the first semester. Leading the way was junior communications major Leslie Knight, who earned a perfect 4.0.
Roysland’s Countdown to 1,000
Senior Kelly Roysland is 33 points (has 967 career points) from becoming the 17th player in Minnesota history to score 1,000 points in a career.
Impressive, But Unusual, Stat Line For Fox
Emily Fox provided one of the bright spots in the loss at Illinois. Fox led the Golden Gophers in every major statistical category. She scored 16 points, grabbed six rebounds, dished out three assists and gathered a career-high six steals. Fox even tied for the team lead with one blocked shot.
Knight Perfect From the Line
Leslie Knight hit all 10 of her free throw attempts versus Illinois, the 12th time in Golden Gopher history that a player hit 100 percent from the stripe with 10 or more attempts. Lindsay Whalen (vs. Creighton, 12/4/03) and new Hall of Famer Marty Dahlen (vs. Iowa State, 3/12/82) top the list with game where they went a perfect 14-for-14 from the free throw line.
Perhaps an Extra Ounce of Effort?
Teams often shoot better on their home court; no shock value there. Well, the Gophers shoot about the same (40 percent) both on the road and at home. What the Gophers do so much better at home interestingly enough is rebound. Overall, Minnesota’s rebounding margin is a +6.0 per game. That statistic balloons to an imposing +12.2 rebound margin in home games.
Defensive Pressure Causing Turnovers
In five of the Gophers’ six Big Ten games, Minnesota’s high-pressure defense has caused opponents to commit over 20 turnovers a game, an average of 21.0 turnovers per game to be exact. Ohio State (at Columbus) is the only team to escape without 20 miscues. The Buckeyes turned the ball over 17 times, however.
Gophers Show Scoring Balance in Big Ten Play
Minnesota has four players with double-digit scoring averages in Big Ten play. Kelly Roysland leads the way with 14.8 points per game. Ashley Ellis-Milan checks in a 10.5 points per league game, while both Leslie Knight and Emily Fox average 10.2 points an outing.
Ellis-Milan, McCoy Among Big Ten’s Top Freshmen
Minnesota has two freshmen making strong cases for consideration for top rookie honors in the Big Ten this season. Forward Ashley Ellis-Milan is nearly averaging a double-double with 9.7 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. Guard Brittany McCoy is being asked to do a lot of things for the Gophers on the court. McCoy is averaging 8.7 points, 2.7 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.3 steals, while also taking on the role of the Gophers’ defensive stopper on the perimeter. On honorable mention nod should perhaps go to Korinne Campbell as well, coming in at 6.7 points and 7.3 rebounds an outing.
Gopher Freshmen Make Big Impact
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 49 percent of the points scored this season.
A Surprise From Down Under
Gopher freshman Zoe Harper received quite the surprise at a team dinner the evening before the Northwestern game (Jan. 11). Harper’s mother, or should we say her mum, Sandra, walked in and greeted her shocked daughter. She will be in the U.S. for a two-week visit. Zoe and her teammates were unaware of the upcoming visit. Sandra will get to see four games during her stay.
The Right Place at the Right Time
Emily Fox gathered in a loose ball and fired the game-winning shot to give the Gophers’ a 65-63 win over Northwestern (Jan 11). The last time Minnesota won on a buzzer-beater was in January of 2002, when Lindsay Whalen’s jumper handed the Gophers’ a 70-69 victory at Michigan State.
Minnesota Owns Biggest Crowd of the Season
Minnesota’s crowd of 11,121 that watched the Gophers defeat Wisconsin on Jan. 7 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.
Campbell, Ellis-Milan 1-2 in the Big Ten
Led by two freshmen, Minnesota is the top offensive rebounding team in the Big Ten. Korinne Campbell has 69 offensive rebounds for a Big Ten-leading 3.63 average per game. Ashley Ellis-Milan has 66 offensive rebounds (3.47 rpg.) to her credit.
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.
Scouting Penn State
Penn State enters Sunday’s game with a 9-10 overall mark, 2-4 in Big Ten play. The Lady Lions are 7-1 at home but 2-9 away from the Bryce Jordan Center. Penn State is 0-3 on the road in league play this season with losses at Illinois, Purdue and Michigan. In those three games, the Lady Lions have averaged just 50.0 points per game. Amanda Brown, a 6-4 senior, is one of the best post players in the Big Ten. The reigning Big Ten Player of the Week, Brown averages 14.0 points and 9.8 rebounds per game and shoots an impressive 55.3 percent from the field. Junior guard Kamela Gissendanner adds 11.9 points an outing.
The Minnesota / Penn State Series
Penn State owns a 19-4 advantage in the series with Minnesota. The teams have split the last six meetings. The Gophers won the only meeting of the 2005-06 season, 77-72, in Minneapolis.
