University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Host NDSU on Wednesday
11/18/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Game 3
Minnesota Golden Gophers (1-1)
vs.
North Dakota State (0-1)
LOCATION Williams Arena (14,625) - Minneapolis, Minn.
DATE / TIME: Wednesday, Nov. 19 / 7 p.m.
TELEVISION: none
RADIO / WEBCAST: KBEM 88.5 FM / Gopher Radio Network / gophersports.com
Corbu Stathes (Play-by-play), Lynnette Sjoquist (Color Analyst)
Golden Gopher Watch List Nov. 19, 2008
Golden Gophers Host North Dakota State in Home Opener - Minnesota opens its 2008-09 home schedule on Wednesday, Nov. 19, by playing host to North Dakota State. Tip off is set for 7 p.m.
Kelly Roysland Returns as NDSU Assistant Coach - Former Golden Gopher guard Kelly Roysland returns to her alma mater to face her old team. Roysland is in her first season as an North Dakota State assistant coach.
Subway Classic on Tap Next Week - Minnesota will play host to the Subway Basketball Classic this weekend, Saturday-Sunday, Nov. 22-23. The Gophers will play American at 1 p.m. on Saturday, then either North Carolina State or Yale on Sunday at 1 p.m.
Collectable Pins Giveaway Begins Wednesday - The first 500 fans at each of the Gopher home games this season will receive a pin of a player or coach. The first pin of the series is head coach Pam Borton.
Gopher Student-Athletes Hold Food Drive - The Gopher student-athletes will hold a food drive at several events this week, including the basketball game on Wednesday. All proceeds benefit Second Harvest Food Shelf.
Gophers Open Home Slate With NDSU
Minnesota opens its 2008-09 home schedule on Wednesday, Nov. 19, by playing host to North Dakota State. Tip off is set for 7 p.m. The Golden Gophers are off to a 1-1 record after a loss at No. 2/2 Stanford (68-55) and a win at Santa Clara (70-45) to open the season. North Dakota State opened its season with a home loss to Northern Iowa.
Get’em While You Can
Golden Gopher fans can collect pins from the 2008-09 Minnesota roster during the season starting off on Wednesday with the first 500 fans receiving a Pam Borton pin.
A Familiar Face in Unfamiliar Space
The Gophers will see one of their own in former player Kelly Roysland (2003-07) on the opponent’s bench on Wednesday. Roysland, a career 1,000-point career scorer during her Minnesota career, is in her first season on Carolyn DeHoff’s coaching staff. Roysland has an endowed scholarship at Minnesota named in her honor.
Just a Bit Ironic That This Could Happen Now
Emily Fox is 13 points away from passing Kelly Roysland on the Golden Gophers’ all-time scoring list. Fox enters the game with 1,062 points, while Roysland finished her Minnesota career with a total of 1,074 to rank 12th in Gopher history. Roysland and Fox played two seasons together and started in the Gopher backcourt in the 2006-07 season.
Ohm Picks Up Where She Left Off
Katie Ohm proved she was one of the finest three-point shooters in the BIg Ten last season. The junior sharpshooter started the 2008-09 season with a three trifecta performance against Stanford. Her 15 points, including a 3-for-7 outing behind the arc, led all scorers. Three more three-pointers contributed to another game-high 17-point outing against Santa Clara. Ohm now has hit three or more three-pointers in a game 13 times in her career.
Freshman Jackie Voigt Earns Starting Role
Freshman Jackie Voigt earned a starting role at the forward position to start the season. She responded with four points and five rebounds in 32 minutes of action against No. 2/2 Stanford and six points and four rebounds in 26 minutes versus Santa Clara.
A Rookie Starting Game One is Special
A quick look at the Gophers’ recent history shows that having a rookie start the season-opener is something special. In fact, since we turned the calendar past the year 2000, this has occurred seven times and includes some of Minnesota’s best. Of the list below, Janel McCarville and Brittany McCoy (current) started every game of their Gopher career.
2000-01 LIndsay Whalen (G)
Tanisha Gilbert (G)
Kadidja Andersson (F)
2001-02 Janel McCarville (C)
2006-07 Brittany McCoy (G)
Zoe Harper (C)
2008-09 Jackie Voigt (F)
Fox Gets Into the Swing of Things
Senior Emily Fox struggled offensively against Stanford hitting on just 2-of-11 field goal attempts. Against Santa Clara, the Gophers’ standout guard also took 11 shots, but this time drained seven to finish the game tying for scoring honors with 17 points.
Sylva Steals the Spotlight
Senior Kay Sylva simply caused havoc with the Santa Clara backcourt in the Gophers’ victory. Sylva grabbed a career-high five steals to pace the Gopher defense that collected an impressive 19 thefts in the game. The last time a Gopher player snared a handful of steals was two years ago when Emily Fox gathered five steals in a WNIT win over Illinois-Chicago.
Harper Likes the Challenge
Gopher junior Zoe Harper has played some of her best games when facing a big, talented opposing post player; Ohio State’s Jantel Lavender and Jessica Davenport and Michigan State Alyssa DeHaan to name a few from the Big Ten. Against Stanford’s Jayne Appel, the Pac-10 best post, Harper turned in another of her best games. She hit 6-of-9 shots from the field for 12 points and was successful on defense neutralizing the power of Appel. Harper added eight points in the win over Santa Clara.
No Hanging in the Balance Necessary
The Gophers enjoyed a balanced game at Santa Clara in scoring and minutes played. Minnesota had nine of the 10 players who saw court time score in the victory. Ashley Ellis-Milan played 30 minutes to lead in that statistic but the Gophers had three players come off the bench to see between 15 and 20 minutes of playing time.
Nicole Mastey Debuts in Santa Clara Contest
Freshman Nicole Mastey saw her first game action in a Gopher uniform in the win over Santa Clara. She tallied an assist and a steal in six minutes. During those six minutes, there was a time when the Gophers had all four of their true freshmen (Kiara Buford, Brianna Mastey, Jackie Voigt the others) on the court at the same time.
A Mix of Experience and Youth
The Golden Gophers kick off the 2008-09 season with a mix of experience and youth on their roster. The Gophers return four starters in Emily Fox, Brittany McCoy, Ashley Ellis-Milan and Katie Ohm who combined have 216 games of starting experience. Then you have Minnesota’s heralded rookie class of Kiara Buford, Brianna Mastey, Nicole Mastey and Jackie Voigt providing a solid influx of talented youth into the program.
Pam Borton Radio Show on Mondays
The Pam Borton Radio Show, heard locally on WCCO Radio (830 am) is broadcast live on Monday evenings at 7:30 p.m. at Applebee’s in Stadium Village. Gopher radio personalities Corbu Stathes and Lynnette Sjoquist host the program. The next show is this Monday, Nov. 24.
Gophers Even Record With Big Win at Santa Clara
Katie Ohm tied a career high with 17 points and nine Golden Gophers scored as Minnesota captured a 70-45 win at Santa Clara on Sunday, Nov. 16. The Gophers evened their record at 1-1.
The Gophers broke away from a 13-13 tie by scoring 11 straight points. Emily Fox, who matched Ohm for game honors with 17 points, netted a pair of buckets in the run.
Minnesota maintained their 11-point advantage the rest of the half to own a 33-22 lead at intermission. Ohm had 11 of her 17 points, and her three triples, in the opening half.
“We came out a little anxious today but I thought did a great job of settling ourselves in the last six minutes of the half,” said Golden Gopher head coach Pam Borton. “Our point guards Kay Sylva and Brittany McCoy did a super job of pressuring the ball and setting the pace for us on defense.
The Gophers forced Santa Clara into 21 first-half turnovers and 38 for the game. Kay Sylva was a force defensively snaring a career-high five steals, four in the first half.
The Gophers continued to build on their lead in the second half. Fox picked up her scoring tallying 11 second-half points. A Fox free throw with 6:16 remaining gave Minnesota its biggest lead at 26 points at 63-37.
Ten Gophers played and nine scored. Nicole Mastey saw her first playing time as a Golden Gopher. She didn’t score but dished out an assist and grabbed a steal.
Scouting North Dakota State
North Dakota State is Minnesota’s opponent for the Gophers’ home opener on Wednesday, Nov. 19, in Williams Arena. The Bison opened their season on Friday with a 77-73 home loss to Northern Iowa. Freshman guard Katie Birkel enjoyed a successful Bison debut leading the team with 18 points. Junior guard Inger Hodgson added 16 points, including three three-point field goals.
Coach Carolyn DeHoff
Carolyn DeHoff is in her first season with North Dakota State after five years on the Utah coaching staff. DeHoff succeeded Bison Hall of Fame coach Amy Ruley, who ruled the sidelines for 29 seasons in Fargo. The most familiar face on the Bison bench, however, is former Golden Gopher guard Kelly Roysland, who is in her first season at NDSU.
The Minnesota / North Dakota State Series
Minnesota leads the series with North Dakota State by a 3-1 margin. The Gophers are 2-0 versus the Bison in Williams Arena, including a 68-65 win last season.
