University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Host MSU Moorhead in Exhibition Game
11/7/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Exhibition Game 2
Minnesota Golden Gophers
vs.
Minnesota State Moorhead Dragons
LOCATION Williams Arena (14,625) - Minneapolis, Minn.
DATE / TIME: Sun., Nov. 9 / 2 p.m.
TELEVISION: none
RADIO / WEBCAST: none
Golden Gopher Watch List Nov. 9, 2008
Gophers Host MSU Moorhead in Final Exhibition - Minnesota plays host to the Dragons of Minnesota State, Moorhead on Sunday, Nov. 9, at 2 p.m. in Williams Arena. The game is the second of two exhibition games prior to the regular season slate.
Gophers Win First Exhibition - Minnesota defeated Concordia, St. Paul by a score of 69-54 in the Golden Gophers’ exhibition opener last Sunday. Emily Fox and Katie Ohm led the way with 15 and 14 points, respectively. Jackie Voigt topped the team with 10 rebounds.
Emily Fox Named to Preseason All-Big Ten Team - Senior Emily Fox was named to the Preseason All-Big Ten Team selected by the Big Ten Conference coaches and media.
Tipping-It Off For Real - Minnesota will open its regular-season schedule with two games in California: Nov. 14 versus Stanford and Nov. 16 at Santa Clara.
Gophers Host MSU Moorhead in Final Exhibition
Minnesota plays host to Minnesota State, Moorhead (NCAA II) on Sunday, Nov. 9, in the second and final of the Golden Gophers’ exhibition games preceding the regular season. Tip off is set for 2 p.m.
Last Year’s Records
Two schools with rather unusual nicknames, the Golden Gophers and the Dragons, face off on the court Sunday. Minnesota posted a 20-12 overall record and advanced to the NCAA Tournament last season. Moorhead finished with an 18-11 overall record in 2007-08, 11-7 in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC).
Gophers Face Second NSIC Team in Exhibition
MSU Moorhead is the second school from the Northern Sun that the Gophers will play in exhibitions this season. Last Sunday (Nov. 2), Minnesota defeated Concordia, St. Paul by a score of 69-54. In the preseason NSIC coaches poll, Moorhead was tabbed to finish seventh in the league. Concordia was picked to place third.
A Quick Scouting Report
The Dragons return eight letterwinners from a year ago. Topping the list is three-year starter and two-time team MVP Katie Walden. Walden, a 5-9 senior guard, averaged 9.3 points last season and shot an impressive 90.5 percent from the free throw line. Moorhead head coach Karla nelson is in her ninth season with the Dragans and owns a 140-92 record.
Gophers Down Concordia St. Paul in Exhibition Opener
Emily Fox scored 15 points to lead four Golden Gophers in double figures in a 69-54 victory over Concordia St. Paul in exhibition play on Nov. 2. Katie Ohm added 14 points, including a trio of three-pointers. Ashley Ellis-Milan and Brittany McCoy chipped in 10 points a piece. Minnesota is 13-0 in exhibition games during the coaching tenure of Pam Borton.
The Rookie Report
A lot of has been said about the Gophers’ true freshmen heading into the season. Jackie Voigt enjoyed a solid outing versus Concordia St. Paul, scoring four points and pulling down a team-high 10 rebounds, while logging 29 minutes of action. Kiara Buford played 16 minutes and tallied five points. Brianna Mastey played 11 minutes and notched four rebounds and two blocks, but did not score.
Combinations Plentiful, But So Were Turnovers
This is something to watch during Sunday’s exhibition. The coaching staff continues to rotate players to find successful combinations on the court. Also, with the first-game jitters out of the way, look for the Gophers to work on reducing the number of turnovers. They turned the ball over 25 times in the first exhibition game.
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 206 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.
Borton Embarks on Seventh Year at Minnesota
Head coach Pam Borton begins her seventh season at Minnesota. Borton, along with Ohio State’s Jim Foster, share the second-longest coaching tenure in the Big Ten Conference. Only Iowa’s Lisa Bluder, entering her ninth season, has been in the league longer. This season, only Northwestern has a new coach after our Big Ten schools (Illinois, Michigan, Michigan State and Penn State) had rookie coaches a year ago.
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. 10.
Fox Named to Preseason All-Big Ten Team
Golden Gopher senior guard Emily Fox was selected to the Preseason All-Big Ten Team. Fox, a Big Ten First Team selection a year ago, was the only backcourt player named to the five-person preseason honor squads. Returning Big Ten Player of the Year, Ohio State sophomore center Jantel Lavender, was a unanimous pick on both teams and honored as the Preseason Player of the Year. She was not, however, a unanimous selection for the Player of the Year. The coaches and media honored the same five athletes. Completing the Preseason All-Big Ten Team are Jenna Smith of Illinois, Allyssa DeHaan of Michigan State and Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton of Purdue.
Preseason Team Predictions An Interesting Lot
The Big Ten coaches and media have differing opinions of which team is the favorite to win the title this season. The coaches pegged Purdue with top honors, while the media selected Ohio State. The Gophers were picked to finish fifth by the coaches and fourth by the media.
The Trio of Team Captains For 2008-09
The Golden Gopher team captains for the 2008-09 season are senior Emily Fox and juniors Ashley Ellis-Milan and Brittany McCoy. Fox is a two-year captain.
By the Numbers...
The Gophers welcome back 70 percent of the scoring, 69 percent of the rebounding and 77 percent of the assists from last season. Topping the list in each category is Emily Fox, returning after averaging 17.2 points and 4.2 assists per game, and Ashley Ellis-Milan back with her 7.1 rebounds an outing.
Emmy Continues Climb Up Scoring Chart
Emily Fox begins her senior season with 1,039 career points and ranked 13th on the Minnesota all-time leading scorer’s list. Looking ahead to the regular season, Fox’s next target on the list in 12th place is Kelly Roysland (2003-07 with 1,074 points.
Going For the Trifecta
Junior guard Brittany McCoy has the chance to build on an accomplishment in Gopher history that only she can acclaim. McCoy is the first player to collect over 100 assists both as a freshman and sophomore. She has dished out 236 assists while starting each and every of her 65 career games.
Ohm Returns as BIg Ten’s Top Long-Range Shooter
Junior Katie Ohm can definitely shoot the rock. Ohm was the Big Ten’s leading shooter from behind the arc last season, converting on an impressive 46.2 percent of her three-point field goal attempts.
Smith Lost For the Season With Achilles Injury
Sophomore Tanisha Smith, a 5-10 forward on the Minnesota women’s basketball team, will miss the 2008-09 season after rupturing the Achilles tendon in her left ankle on Sept. 16, during conditioning drills. Smith, a native of Whitby, Ontario, underwent surgery on Sept. 19, under the care of University of Minnesota team physician/orthopedic surgeon Dr. Fernando Pena.
Smith is in her third season with the Golden Gophers. She redshirted the 2006-07 season after suffering a knee injury early in her rookie season. Smith returned for her redshirt freshman season in 2007-08 and played in six games averaging 0.5 points and 0.7 rebounds per game.
Smith is a member of Minnesota’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee executive board for the 2008-09 school year. A kinesiology major, Smith represented Minnesota at the NCAA Student-Athlete Development Conference last May. She was the recipient of an Arthur Ashe Jr., Sports Scholar Award last year.
