University of Minnesota Athletics
Golden Gophers Travel to Illinois on Thursday
1/9/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Minnesota Golden Gophers (12-4, 3-1 Big Ten)
vs.
Illinois Illini (10-5, 2-2 Big Ten)
LOCATION Assembly Hall (16,618) - Champaign, Ill.
DATE / TIME: Thurs., Jan. 10 / 7 p.m.
TELEVISION: none
RADIO / WEBCAST: KBEM 88.5 FM
Gopher Radio Network / gophersports.com
Corbu Stathes (play-by-play), Lynnette Sjoquist (analyst)
Golden Gopher Watch List Jan. 10, 2008
Gophers Travels to Illinois on Thursday - Minnesota travels to Illinois on Thursday, Jan. 10, looking for its third Big Ten road win of the season. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. The Golden Gophers captured an 81-73 victory at Wisconsin on Monday to improve their record to 12-4 overall and a conference-leading 3-1 mark in the Big Ten.
In the Midst of a Busy Week - Minnesota is at the midpoint of a busy week with three Big Ten games. The Gophers traveled to Wisconsin on Monday and head to Illinois on Thursday, then play host to Penn State on Sunday.
Fox, Knight Lead Big Ten in Scoring - Emily Fox and Leslie Knight retained the top two spots on the Big Ten scoring race (conference only games). The duo switched positions after the Wisconsin game. Fox now tops the league with a scoring average of 19.8 points per game. Knight is second averaging 18.5 points an outing.
Fox Scores 29 in Win at Wisconsin - Emily Fox scored 24 of her game-high 29 points in the second half in leading Minnesota to an 81-73 win at Wisconsin.
Minnesota Travels to Illinois Seeking Third Big Ten Road Win
Minnesota travels to Illinois on Thursday, Jan. 10, looking for its third Big Ten road win of the season. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. The Golden Gophers captured an 81-73 victory at Wisconsin on Monday to improve their record to 12-4 overall and a conference-leading 3-1 mark in the Big Ten. Illinois is 10-5 overall and 2-2 in Big Ten play coming off 70-62 loss at Indiana last Sunday.
A Busy Week
Minnesota is at the midpoint of a busy week with three Big Ten games. The Gophers traveled to Wisconsin on Monday and head to Illinois on Thursday, then play host to Penn State on Sunday.
Opportunity is Knocking
Minnesota has a step up on the Big Ten with its 3-1 record in league play. The key here is that the Gophers have captured two important wins on the road at Michigan State and Wisconsin. A win at Illinois would add another important rung to the difficult ladder of the Big Ten standings. Five teams are biting at the Gophers’ heels sporting 2-1 Big Ten marks: Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan, Indiana and Purdue.
Minnesota and Indiana Still Perfect on the Road
Minnesota (2-0) and Indiana (1-0) are the only undefeated road warriors of the Big Ten. Indiana won its only Big Ten road game of the season thus far at Northwestern. The Hoosiers visit Ohio State on Thursday.
What Wacky Start to the Big Ten Season
The word was that the Big Ten race would be wide open this season and if early returns are any indication, this is going to be an interesting roller-coaster ride of a Big Ten season. There isn’t a single team remaining undefeated in Conference play. Six of the Big Ten’s 11 teams enter Thursday’s games with one loss.
This season marks the first since the 1996-97 campaign that no team even made it to 3-0 to kick of the Big Ten slate. How did that season 11 years ago end? Illinois, Michigan State and Purdue tied for the Big Ten title, all with a 12-4 mark. There were also two teams that finished 9-7 (Northwestern, Iowa), two that finished 8-8 (Wisconsin, Penn State) and two at 7-9 (Michigan, Indiana).
Gophers Back in RPI’s Top 20
Minnesota moved up three spots to No. 19 in RPI (Rating Percentage Index) according to CollegeRPI.com, after the road win at Wisconsin. The Gophers, whose schedule is rated as the 15th toughest in the nation, own the second-best RPI in the Big Ten with Penn State leading the way at No. 11 and Ohio State at No. 23. Illinois is ranked No. 63 in RPI with a No. 62 strength of schedule.
Putting the Books Away For a While
The Gophers finished first semester final exams and are in the midst of nearly a month off from classes. Minnesota will play three more games before the second semester begins on Tuesday, Jan. 22. So far the Gophers are 4-1 during their winter break from classes.
Fox, Knight Stand One-Two in Big Ten Scoring
Gophers Emily Fox and Leslie Knight retained the top two spots on the Big Ten scoring race (conference only games). The duo, however, switched positions after the Wisconsin game. Fox now tops the league with a scoring average of 19.8 points per game. Knight is second averaging 18.5 points an outing.
Fox Drops in 29 Versus Wisconsin
Emily Fox scored 24 of her game-high 29 points in the second half in leading Minnesota to an 81-73 win at Wisconsin. The Gopher junior went 10-for-14 from the floor and added four assists and four steals. The outing was Fox’s third-highest scoring game of her career.
Playing the Best Ball of Her Career
Forward Leslie Knight is the Gophers’ only senior on the court and she is playing with the confidence and leadership necessary for her team to be successful. Knight’s performance in the last six games has been sensational. She has averaged 18.3 points per game, converting on 42-of-63 field goal attempts for an impressive 66.7 percent. Knight tallied a career-high 19 points in the win over Iowa State, then collected her second career double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds in the victory at Michigan State. She bettered her career scoring best again, this time netting 20 points against Purdue followed by an 18 points outing on 8-of-12 shooting versus Iowa. In her last outing, she matched her career-high of 20 points (7-10 FG) at Wisconsin.
Fox Deserving Participant in Player of the Year Race
Emily Fox was named an All-Big Ten Second Team performer a year ago after ranking among the Big Ten leaders in several statistical categories. Fox has continued and bettered that trend this season. She is ranked among the leaders (overall season stats) in scoring, assists, steals, free throw percentage and three-point percentage. The following chart lists a comparison between her current Big Ten rankings and how Fox finished last season.
Big Ten Stat 2007-08 2006-07
Scoring 2nd / 18.1 ppg. 10th / 14.5 ppg.
Assists 4th / 4.19 apg. 5th / 3.88 apg.
Steals 4th / 2.44 spg. 5th / 2.31 spg.
FT Pct. 8th / .833 10th / .848
3FG Pct. 1st / .491 na
3FG Made 6th / 1.75 na
A Reversal With a Happy Ending
Minnesota has prided itself on being a team that hits the glass hard and pesters opponents into plenty of turnovers. Against the Badgers, Wisconsin gathered 30 offensive rebounds and it was the Gophers’ committing a plethora of miscues with 25 turnovers. Two factors helped Minnesota overcome these negative trends to capture the win. First of all, though Minnesota turned the ball over eight more times than Wisconsin, the Gophers took better advantage building a 20-17 points off turnovers advantage. Then, nearly a third of the Badgers’ offensive rebounds came late in the game with the Gophers maintaining a lead. On one possession alone, Wisconsin collected four offensive rebounds before finally tipping in a shot with 24 seconds left to cut the lead to five. Minnesota was able to answer with made free throws.
There’s Often a Story in the Stats
Minnesota sits atop the Big Ten standings yet ranks dead last in defensive field goal percentage (.437). Against Purdue, the Boilermakers shot 53.2 percent from the floor but suffered a seven-point setback. Iowa shot 50.9 percent and squeaked out an overtime win. As Boilermaker head coach Sharon Versyp put it in her postgame interview, “We needed more shot attempts...we only got 47.” That is exactly how the Gophers have been able to overcome having teams shoot well against them - limit their opportunities. Minnesota has allowed its opponents a Big Ten-low 55.8 field goal attempts per game by combining the elements of forcing 20.6 turnovers per game and controlling the boards thus limiting second chances (opponents are averaging 11.1 offensive rebounds per game). Still with Pam Borton’s emphasis on defense, watch for the Gophers to sure-up their defense and lower that opponent field goal percentage.
An “X” Factor...The Real McCoy
Sophomore Brittany McCoy is an important element to the Gophers’ success that is often overlooked considering the impressive seasons her teammates Emily Fox and Leslie Knight are enjoying. Ten (10) of the Gophers’ victories, including all three Big Ten wins, have the common thread of McCoy making an impact offensively either with her scoring or passing. When McCoy either scores in double figures (which has happened four times) or has dished out five or more assists (which she has done six times), the Gophers are a perfect 10-0.
Some Credit on the Defensive End as Well
Brittany McCoy has played some of her best defensive basketball against Wisconsin sharpshooter Jolene Anderson. In the three games where they have faced off, McCoy has hindered Anderson in poor shooting performances in each one. Collectively, Anderson has shot 34 percent (17-50) in those games. Anderson was 6-for-17 on Monday.
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 72 straight games 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.
Fox Consistent as Gopher Leader
Emily Fox has captured team scoring honors in 11 of the Gophers’ 16 games. The Gophers are 10-1 when Fox garners scoring honors. The only games in which she was not the Gophers’ top scorer was versus Virginia, (15 points), Charlotte, (11 points and seven assists), Utah (14 points and seven rebounds), Purdue (16 points and seven assists) and Iowa (16 points, four assists, four steals).
Scouting The Illini
Illinois owns a record of 10-5 and 2-2 in the Big Ten. The Illini have played three of their first four conference games on the road, losing their last two at Penn State and Indiana. Sophomore Jenna Smith paces Illinois with double-double averages of 18.3 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. Smith tops the Big Ten in both categories in the season statistics. In Big Ten play, however, Smith’s averages are 14.3 points and 8.5 rebounds an outing. Forward Danyel Crutcher adds 10.8 points a game. The Illini are one best free throw shooting teams in the nation at 79.9 percent. Junior guard Lori Bjork is 36-39 from the line for 92.3 percent.
The Minnesota / Illinois Series
Illinois leads the series with Minnesota by a 27-21 margin. Minnesota has won eight of the last 10 games of the series, but the Illini snapped a five-game Gopher winning streak with a 64-54 win in the last meeting of the series, last season in Champaign.
