University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Travel to Indiana on Sunday
2/3/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Minnesota Golden Gophers (13-10, 5-5 Big Ten)
vs.
Indiana Hoosiers (14-9, 3-7 Big Ten)
LOCATION Assembly Hall (17,357) - Bloomington, Ind.
DATE / TIME: Sun., Fec. 4 - 2 p.m. (ET - 1 p.m. CT)
TELEVISION: none
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 — Feb. 4, 2007
• Gophers Travel to Indiana on Sunday - Minnesota (13-10, 5-5 Big Ten) travels to Bloomington, Ind., on Sunday for a 2 p.m. (ET, 1 p.m. CT) contest against the Hoosiers. The teams will meet at Williams Arena one week later on Feb. 11.
• A Near Upset of a Top-10 Team - Minnesota came up just short of upsetting No. 10/13 Purdue on Thursday. The Golden Gophers had two shots at the lead in the final seconds, but came up empty in a 58-55 loss. Emily Fox and Leslie Knight led the way for the Gophers with 16 points each.
• Roysland Out For 1-2 Weeks - Senior Kelly Roysland will miss 1-2 weeks yet after suffering a broken collarbone in the Gophers’ overtime victory at Iowa (Jan. 25). Roysland is three points from 1,000 career points.
• Barnes Gets the Starting Nod - Junior Jordan Barnes earned the first start of her Golden Gopher career filling in for Roysland in the Purdue game. Barnes is expected to remain in the starting lineup versus Indiana.
Gophers Travel to Indiana on Sunday
Minnesota (13-10, 5-5 Big Ten) travels to Indiana on Sunday for the first of two meetings with the Hoosiers in a span of a week. Sunday’s tip off is set for 2 p.m. (ET- 1 p.m. CT). The Golden Gophers will host Indiana on Sunday Feb. 11.
Cut to the Chase...This Game is Big
Sunday’s game between the Golden Gophers and Hoosiers is huge for both teams if they hope to extend their seasons into post-season play. Minnesota is 5-5 in the Big Ten, tied with Wisconsin for fifth place in the league standings. A win would keep the Gophers on the positive side of the ledger and aid immensely as positioning for the Big Ten Tournament heats up. Also, need it be mentioned how much weight a winning BIg Ten record means in any NCAA Tournament consideration.
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 sidelined for a few weeks. Since Roysland went out with her injury, Fox has averaged 22.0 points points a game.
Dare We Call It a Shot of Confidence?
Let’s take it one step further. Ever since Emily Fox’s last second jumper won the game at Northwestern, the sophomore guard has averaged 19.0 points per game in Big Ten action. Even more impressive about Fox’s scoring outburst is that three of the five games were played on the road.
Knight Tabs Career First Versus Purdue
For the first time in her Golden Gopher career, forward Leslie Knight earned team scoring honors, matching Emily Fox with 16 points versus No. 10/13 Purdue. Knight has scored in double figures 11 times in 2006-07.
McCoy Makes Big Strides as Defensive Stopper
Purdue guard Katie Gearlds commented that she was glad former Gopher defensive stopper Shannon Bolden had graduated. Well, Brittany McCoy was like a recurring nightmare for Gearlds on Thursday, playing tough defense on the All-Big Ten Boilermaker guard and forcing Gearlds into a season-low four-points outing on 2-of-10 from the floor and 0-3 from three-point range. McCoy played 39 of 40 minutes and also contributed seven points, five assists and two steals.
The Waiting Game, Roysland Out 1-2 Weeks
The Gophers’ lone senior and team captain Kelly Roysland will miss 1-2 weeks yet 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.
Barnes Earns Starting Nod
Junior Jordan Barnes started her first career game as a Golden Gopher and responded with a solid outing against No. 10/13 Purdue on Thursday. Barnes matched her season-high with five points but grabbed a career-high six rebounds in playing 27 minutes. Also of note is the intense hard-nosed defense Barnes brings to the court.
One of the Big Ten’s Most Improved Players
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 54.1 percent from the floor (an incredible 68.8 percent in home Big Ten games) and 85.3 percent from the line en route to averaging 10.9 points a game. She also averages 4.9 rebounds per game.
Knight’s Consecutive Free Throw Streaks Ends at 19
Leslie Knight hit a career-best 19 consecutive free throws before missing an attempt in the game versus Purdue. Knight kicked off the streak by going a perfect 10-for-10 at Illinois. Kelly Roysland owns the school record with 33 straight free throws made during the 2004-05 season.
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 7.7 boards a game, but has struggled in Minnesota’s last three games, grabbing just four rebounds in each contest.
Campbell, Ellis-Milan Tops in Offensive Rebounding
Led by two freshmen, Minnesota is the top offensive rebounding team in the Big Ten. Korinne Campbell’s 78 and Ashley Ellis-Milan’s 77 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.
Scouting Indiana
Indiana improved to 14-9 overall and 3-7 in the Big Ten with a 83-56 drubbing of Wisconsin on Thursday. The Hoosiers scored the first 19 points in the contest. The game broke a five-game losing streak for the Hoosiers. Like the Gophers, Indiana has lost its share of close games, including an overtime home loss to Michigan State (64-56) and a 65-63 nail-biter at Michigan. Guard Nikki Smith leads the Hoosiers in scoring at 12.8 points per game. Smith led the charge versus Wisconsin with 22 points and four three-point field goals. Five Hoosiers tabbed double figures in the victory.
The Minnesota / Indiana Series
Minnesota leads the series with Indiana by a 26-23 margin. The Hoosiers, however, won the last meeting in the quarterfinals of the 2006 Big Ten Tournament.
