University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
Indiana
Gophers Snap Skid Against Indiana on Senior Recognition Day
2/11/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Minnesota’s women’s basketball team honored Kelly Roysland, the Gophers’ lone senior, by snapping a four-game losing streak in a 79-69 victory over Indiana at Williams Arena on Senior Recognition Day on Sunday.
Roysland’s three-pointer 38 seconds into the game made her the 17th player in Minnesota history to score 1,000 career points. She finished the day with 13 points in her first game back from a broken collerbone injury suffered in a game against Iowa on Jan. 25.
Sophomore guard Emily Fox led all scorers with 23 points, also dishing out four assists and collecting three steals. Freshman forward Ashley Ellis-Milan recorded her seventh double-double of the season with 11 points and 11 rebounds. Leslie Knight was the fourth Minnesota player in double figures with 12 points.
Hundreds of Roysland supporters from her hometown of Fosston, Minn. made the trip to Williams Arena to see Roysland play her last Sunday regular season home game. The majority of the 8,612 Gophers fans stayed until after the game to hear Roysland’s senior speech in which she thanked her family, coaches and teammates.
“It was a great day with Kelly Roysland returning to the game,” head coach Pam Borton said. “I was proud of the team. It was not a pretty win, but we did what we needed to do.”
Minnesota pushed out to a quick 13-3 lead four minutes into the game, capped by two free throws from Knight. Indiana responded by scoring ten of the next 12 points to cut the Gophers’ lead to 15-13 with 13:13 to play.
After a three-pointer by Hoosiers’ guard Kim Roberson tied the score at 20-20 with 7:41 to go in the first half, Minnesota went on a 12-0 run to take a 32-20 lead. In the stretch, five different Gophers scored, including a three-pointer by 6-3 center Zoe Harper as the shot clock expired. Minnesota led 35-23 at halftime.
The Gophers led by as many as 20 points midway through the second half, but Indiana would not go away.
Roberson, who scored 16 points for the Hoosiers, fouled out at the 6:33 mark of the second half with Minnesota holding a 16-point lead 64-48. With Roberson out of the game, Indiana went on a 14-3 run to make score 67-63 with 2:53 left in the game. It was the closest the Hoosiers had been since midway through the first half.
Minnesota answered by hitting two free throws in three consecutive possessions to reclaim an 11-point lead at 73-62. Ellis-Milan went to the line first, sinking both free throws, and was followed by successive trips to the line from Jordan Barnes and Fox. The Gophers went 12-of-12 from the line in the last 2:30 of the game.
The two teams were whistled for a combined 48 personal fouls, with three Hoosiers (Roberson, Whitney Thomas, Nikki Smith) and two Gophers (Knight and Korinne Campbell) fouling out.
Jamie Braun came off the bench to lead Indiana with 17 points. Sarah McKay had 13 points and 11 rebounds for the Hoosiers.
The Gophers will take to the road on Thursday, Feb. 15 for a game at Penn State at 6 p.m.
