University of Minnesota Athletics
Golden Gophers Play Host to Purdue on Thursday
1/31/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Minnesota Golden Gophers (13-9, 5-4 Big Ten)
vs.
Purdue Boilermakers (19-4, 8-1 Big Ten)
LOCATION Williams Arena (14,625) - Minneapolis, Minn..
DATE / TIME: Thurs, Feb. 1 - 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 — Feb. 1, 2007
• Gophers Play Host to Purdue on Thursday - Minnesota (13-9, 5-4 Big Ten) faces its third nationally ranked team of the season on Thursday, Feb. 1, when No. 10/13 Purdue (19-4, 8-1) visits Williams Arena. Tip off is set for 7 p.m. Both teams are coming off losses in their last outings.
• Only Meeting With Purdue - Thursday’s game is the Golden Gophers’ only Big Ten regular-season meeting with Purdue. The other teams the Gophers will see only once are Northwestern (W, Jan. 11), Michigan (Feb. 22) and Michigan State (Feb. 25).
• Roysland Out For 2-4 Weeks - Senior Kelly Roysland will miss 2-4 weeks after suffering a broken collarbone in the Gophers’ overtime victory at Iowa. Roysland is three points from 1,000 career points.
• The Young Get Even Younger - With Kelly Roysland out of the lineup, the young Gophers get even younger. The Gophers are expected to start three freshmen, one sophomore and one junior on Thursday as redshirt freshman Katie Ohm is expected to get her second career start.
Gophers Host Purdue on Thursday
Minnesota (13-9, 5-4 Big Ten) plays host to Purdue on Thursday in Williams Arena. Tip off is set for 7 p.m. The Boilermakers (19-4, 8-1 Big Ten) are coming off a tough 64-55 loss to Ohio State on Monday. The Golden Gophers also dropped their last outing, falling 70-57 at Wisconsin.
Purdue Brings National Ranking to Williams
No. 10/13 Purdue is the third nationally ranked team Minnesota has played this season, the first to visit Williams Arena. The Golden Gophers own a 1-1 mark against ranked teams in 2006-07, defeating Nebraska (74-65) and falling to Ohio State (75-62).
One and Done Versus Purdue
Thursday’s game against Purdue is one of the Gophers’ four single-game series versus a Big Ten opponent this season. In addition to the Boilermakers, the Gophers will play Northwestern, Michigan and Michigan State only once during the regular season. Minnesota defeated Northwestern, 65-63, on Jan. 11. The games against the Wolverines and Spartans are the final two on the Gophers’ regular-season schedule.
Fox on the Run
Emily Fox has played her best basketball of her career over the past few weeks, especially important now with backcourt running mate Kelly Roysland sidelinded for a few weeks. Last week, Fox averaged 25.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game. Fox played all 40 minutes versus Wisconsin on Sunday, becoming the first Gopher to play a complete game this season.
Dare We Call It a Shot of Confidence?
Ever since Emily Fox’s last second jumper won the game at Northwestern, the sophomore guard has averaged 19.8 points per game in Big Ten action. Even more impressive about Fox’s scoring outburst is that three of the four games were played on the road.
Gopher Senior Roysland to Miss 2-4 Weeks
The Gophers’ lone senior and team captain Kelly Roysland will miss 2-4 weeks after suffering a broken collarbone in the game versus Iowa (Jan. 25). The injury will be evaluated on a weekly basis. Prior to her injury, Roysland had played in each of her 118 career games, including Minnesota’s Final Four national semifinal appearance versus Connecticut in 2004.
Roysland’s Countdown to 1,000 on Hold
Senior Kelly Roysland is three (3) points (has 997 career points) from becoming the 17th player in Minnesota history to score 1,000 points in a career. Roysland scored 10 points versus Iowa (Jan. 25) before leaving the game with her injury.
An Unfortunate Case of Deja Vu
Gopher fans may find the injury to Kelly Roysland a bit ironic. After all, it was Roysland as a true freshman who was asked to fill in when All-American Lindsay Whalen went down with a broken hand in her senior season. Roysland started seven games in Whalen’s absence, improving her scoring average from 5.5 points a game to 8.4 in those seven games.
The Young but Not the Restless
The young Golden Gophers will get even younger with Kelly Roysland out of the lineup. Redshirt freshman Katie Ohm got the starting nod in Roysland’s place versus Wisconsin. Minnesota’s starting lineup consists of a junior (Leslie Knight), a sophomore (Emily Fox) and three freshmen (Ohm, Ashley Ellis-Milan and Brittany McCoy). The last time three freshmen were in the starting lineup was in the first semester of the 2000-01 season, when rookies Lindsay Whalen, Kadidja Andersson and Tanisha Gilbert graced the starting five.
Knight Providing Necessary Consistency in Post
Leslie Knight has been the Gophers’ most consistent presence in the post during the Big Ten season. If there was such a thing as an award for the Big Ten’s most improved player, Knight would certainly be a leading candidate. In Big Ten play, Knight is shooting 55.7 percent from the floor (an incredible 68.8 percent in home Big Ten games) and 89.3 percent from the line en route to averaging 10.3 points a game. She also averages 4.8 rebounds per game.
Hitting the Glass to Work Out of Slump
The Golden Gopher freshmen don’t have the luxury of having time to play like rookies. Center Ashley Ellis-Milan remains the Gophers’ top rebounder, pulling down an average of 7.9 boards a game, but has struggled in Minnesota’s last two games, grabbing just four rebounds in each contest. Meanwhile, however, Ellis-Milan has done a solid job of getting to the free throw line, averaging seven attempts in each Big Ten game. Against Wisconsin in her last outing, she went 8-for-8 from the line in scoring 14 points.
Season-Best Performance From the Line
Led by Ashley Ellis-Milan’s perfect 8-for-8 performance, the Golden Gophers marked their finest game from the free throw line converting 15-of-16 attempts for 93.8 percent.
Campbell, Ellis-Milan Tops in Offensive Rebounding
Led by two freshmen, Minnesota is the top offensive rebounding team in the Big Ten. Ashley Ellis-Milan’s 76 and Korinne Campbell’s 75 offensive rebounds on the season ranks first and second in the Conference.
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 62 straight games, including 12 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.
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.
Defensive Pressure Causing Turnovers
In six of the Gophers’ nine Big Ten games, Minnesota’s high-pressure defense has caused opponents to commit over 20 turnovers a game. Wisconsin (at Madison), Ohio State (at Columbus) and Iowa (at Iowa City) are the only teams to escape without 20 miscues.
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 14.9 points per game. Emily Fox checks in a 13.8 points an outing, followed by Ashley Ellis-Milan (10.9) and Leslie Knight (10.3).
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 10.0 points and 7.9 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, 2.8 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 6.2 points and 7.2 rebounds an outing.
Ellis-Milan Has Six Double-Doubles
Ellis-Milan captured her sixth double-double of the season with 11 points and 11 rebounds versus Penn State. Three of those double-doubles have come in Big Ten play, matching Michigan State rookie Allyssa DeHaan for the Conference lead for freshman double-doubles.
Roysland Hits 100th Three-Pointer, Ranks Sixth on Three-Pointer List
Kelly Roysland hit her 100th three-point field goal as a Golden Gopher in the win over Penn State (1/21). Roysland currently ranks sixth on the Gophers’ all-time list for three-pointers with 102. The next target on the list is Cassie VanderHeyden (1998-00) with 118.
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.
Fox Scores 30 Versus Iowa, Top Big Ten Output
Sophomore Emily Fox scored a career-high 30 points in the win over Iowa, the highest scoring output of the season in Big Ten play. Fox hit a career-best five three-point field goals in the game and added five assists in 44 minutes of action.
Scouting Purdue
Purdue worked its way up to a top 10 ranking (No. 10 in AP poll), but lost a tough 64-55 contest to Ohio State in its last outing. The Boilermakers are 19-4 overall and 8-1 in Big Ten play. In addition to the Buckeyes, the only other Purdue losses were to Connecticut, Notre Dame and Texas., all on the road. Senior guard Katie Gearlds is one of those talented players that has seemingly been around forever. She leads the team in scoring at 17.3 points per game and a Big Ten-high 55 three-point field goals on the season. Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton adds 14.3 points, and team-high averages of 8.4 rebounds and 3.1 blocks per game.
The Minnesota / Purdue Series
Purdue leads the series with Minnesota by a 31-15 margin. The Boilermakers won both games of the series last season.
