University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Host North Dakota State on Tuesday
11/24/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Minnesota Golden Gophers (3-1)
vs.
North Dakota State Bison (1-2)
LOCATION Williams Arena (14,625) - Minneapolis, Minn.
DATE / TIME: Tuesday, Nov. 24 / 7 p.m.
TELEVISION: none
RADIO / WEBCAST: Gopher Radio Network, KBEM-FM-88.5
Corbu Stathes (Play-by-Play), Lynnette Sjoquist (Color Analysis)
Gophersports.com
Golden Gopher Watch List — Nov. 24, 2009
• Gophers Host North Dakota State - Minnesota (3-1) plays host to North Dakota State on Tuesday, in the Golden Gophers’ third game in four days.
• A Familiar Face - Former Gopher guard Kelly Roysland is in her second season as an assistant coach on the North Dakota State staff.
• Gophers Win Subway Classic Title - Minnesota defeated Colorado, 87-78, in the championship game of the Subway Basketball Classic. Ashley Ellis-Milan was named the Classic MVP and was joined by Kiara Buford and China Antoine on the all-tournament team.
• Lighting up the Scoreboard at Home- Minnesota has scored 80 or more points in its first three home games this season. The Gophers have shot 50 percent or better from the floor in the last two games.
• Busy November - Minnesota will play its first seven games in the span of just two weeks. After the North Dakota State game, the Gophers travel to the Bahamas to play two games in the Junkanoo Jam
Gophers Host Neighbors to the West
Minnesota continues a brutal early-season schedule with its fifth game of the season playing host to North Dakota State on Tuesday. The Golden Gophers are 3-1on the season after capturing the Subway Classic title over the weekend. Minnesota opens its season with a two-week stretch that includes seven games. North Dakota State is 1-2 on the season, dropping a 68-60 decision to Wyoming in its last outing.
Let’s Just Play Games
Players love it. Coaches, well, not so much. The Gophers’ early season schedule featured seven games, nearly a quarter of the season’s games, within the first two weeks of the season. That means little practice time and more game preparation. The NDSU game is the fifth of the seven game stretch.
No Blue Water Thoughts Until After NDSU
The Golden Gophers certainly cannot afford looking ahead to a Thanksgiving trip to the sunny and warm Bahamas until after they take care of business in playing North Dakota State. But for the purpose of game notes, it is noteworthy that the team has a 4 a.m. departure from Williams Arena on Wednesday morning. The Gophers will face TCU on Friday and then either Kansas or Xavier on Saturday in the Junkanoo Jam.
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 Tuesday. Roysland, a career 1,000-point career scorer during her Minnesota career, is in her second season on Carolyn DeHoff’s North Dakota State coaching staff. Roysland has an endowed scholarship at Minnesota named in her honor.
Could Irony Strike Again?
Ashley Ellis-Milan is 15 points from passing Kelly Roysland on the Golden Gophers’ all-time scoring list. Ellis-Milan enters the game with 1,059 points, while Roysland finished her Minnesota career with a total of 1,074 to rank 13th in Gopher history.
Why the irony?
Last season, Emily Fox bypassed Roysland on the Gophers’ all-time scorer’s list in the game against North Dakota State. Now could it be another former teammate of Roysland dashing past her as she watches from the opposing bench?
Roysland, Fox and Ellis-Milan were members of the Gophers’ starting lineup in the 2006-07 season.
Minnesota Wins Subway Classic Title
Minnesota captured the 2009 Subway Basketball Classic title with an 87-78 victory over Colorado in the championship game. The Gophers have won their own early-season tourney in nine of the last 10 years and a total of 15 times.
Ellis-Milan Named Subway Classic MVP
Ashley Ellis-Milan was named the Subway Classic Most Valuable Player after two solid performances in the tournament. Ellis-Milan averaged 17.5 points per game, making 12-of-19 shots from the floor and a perfect 11-for-11 from the free throw line.
Buford and Antoine Claim All-Tourney Honors
The Gophers also had Kiara Buford and China Antoine named to the all-tournament team. Buford was as deserving as Ellis-Milan for MVP accord. She averaged 19.5 points in the Classic, including a career-high 24-point outing in the championship game versus Colorado. Like Ellis-Milan, Buford was perfect from the line over the weekend going 15-for-15, and 11-for-11 versus Colorado.
Antoine earned her All-Classic honor by coming off the bench and providing a great spark of energy for the Gophers on both ends of the court. She averaged 10.0 points a game and dished out a career-high seven assists versus Illinois-Chicago.
Inquiring Minds Wanted to Know...
The last time Minnesota scored 80 or more points in their first three home games was in the 2003-04 season with 93 vs. Souther, 95 vs. Colorado and 82 vs. Creighton. The previous season, 2002-03, the Gophers scored 80 or more in their first four home games: 116 vs. IPFW, 93 vs. Radford, 88 vs. UMKC and 98 vs. Michigan.
Back-to-Back Hot Shooting Games for Gophers
Minnesota shot 59.6 percent against Illinois-Chicago and then 50.0 percent against Colorado. The Gophers’ last consecutive games shooting 50 percent or better dates back to Jan. 18 (Michigan - 54.0 percent) and Jan. 21 (Iowa - 50.8 percent), 2006. Surprisingly, both those games were on the road. Earlier that season, the Gophers had back-to-back home games shooting 50 percent or better as well (Nebraska, Washington State).
Not Quite a Record, But Pretty Darn Impressive
Minnesota hit 30-of-34 free throws in the win over Colorado for an accuracy rating of 88.2 percent. The Gopher record for the most free throw in a game is 32, which has occurred three times, the last coming vs. Kansas State in the 1993-94 season. The percentage in a a game with at least one miss was 21-of-22 for 95.5 percent vs. Michigan State in 2001-02.
Buford Goes 11-for-11
Kiara Buford was a perfect 11-for-11 from the free throw line in the Colorado win. Buford is the sixth player in Minnesota history to go 100 percent from the line with 11 or more attempts.
Pam Borton Radio on Monday
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. Golden Gopher radio personalities Corbu Stathes and Lynnette Sjoquist host the program. The next show is Monday, Nov. 30.
When You’re Hot, You’re Hot
Minnesota shot a blistering 59.6 percent from the floor in the win over Illinois-Chicago. It’s been a while since the Gophers posted that kind of percentage. In fact, one has to go back to Dec. 3, 2005, when the Gophers shot better – 61.0 percent (25-41) vs. Nebraska.
Stealing the Spotlight
As effective as the Gophers’ offense was in the win over Illinois-Chicago, the Minnesota defense deserves an ever louder shout-out. The Gophers collected 18 steals (school record is 24) in the game with five players, led by Brittany McCoy with five, grabbing more than one.
Something About the Number 11
Freshman guard Leah Cotton, who wears the number 11 on her jersey enjoyed a great weekend of play in the Subway Classic. In the championship game versus Colorado, Cotton was 3-for-3 from the floor, 2-for-2 from three-point range and 3-for-3 from the free throw line for 11 points. Those 11 points were scored in 11 minutes. Guess how many points she scored against Illinois-Chicago in the Gophers’ first game of the Classic? You guessed it – 11.
Brittany McCoy in Triple Digits for Starts
Senior Brittany McCoy made her 101st career start of her Gopher career in the game versus Colorado. McCoy has started every game of her high school and college basketball career. The Minnesota record for consecutive starts is held by Lindsay Whalen (2001-04), who started 111 straight during her Gopher career.
1,000 Points in the Books
Gopher center Ashley Ellis-Milan grabbed an offensive rebound off a Katie Ohm three-point field goal attempt and banked home a short jumper early in the Lamar game to score her 1,000th career point. Ellis-Milan is the 19th Gopher to surpass the 1,000-points milestone.
Moving On Up and Quickly
Ashley Ellis-Milan has already moved up five spots on the Minnesota all-time scoring list since joining the 1,000 career points club. She is now No. 14 with 1,059 career points. Ellis-Milan’s cousin Linda Roberts (1977-81) ranks No. 4 in Gopher scoring history with 1.056 points.
Ellis-Milan is also working her way up the career rebounds list. She is currently No. 8 on the list with 716 career rebounds.
This China Far From Fragile
China Antoine has played important minutes off the bench for the Gophers at the backup point guard position. Antoine is averaging 8.0 points a game with two contests in double figures (Utah, Colorado). She is also contributing 3.7 assists and 2.3 steals per game.
Harper Working Hard on the Boards
Senior Zoe Harper is one of the team’s leaders in rebounding, averaging 5.0 rebounds a game. Early this season, Harper has been an effective collector of rebounds as her 20 rebounds have come in an average of 15.5 minutes a game.
vs.
North Dakota State Bison (1-2)
LOCATION Williams Arena (14,625) - Minneapolis, Minn.
DATE / TIME: Tuesday, Nov. 24 / 7 p.m.
TELEVISION: none
RADIO / WEBCAST: Gopher Radio Network, KBEM-FM-88.5
Corbu Stathes (Play-by-Play), Lynnette Sjoquist (Color Analysis)
Gophersports.com
Golden Gopher Watch List — Nov. 24, 2009
• Gophers Host North Dakota State - Minnesota (3-1) plays host to North Dakota State on Tuesday, in the Golden Gophers’ third game in four days.
• A Familiar Face - Former Gopher guard Kelly Roysland is in her second season as an assistant coach on the North Dakota State staff.
• Gophers Win Subway Classic Title - Minnesota defeated Colorado, 87-78, in the championship game of the Subway Basketball Classic. Ashley Ellis-Milan was named the Classic MVP and was joined by Kiara Buford and China Antoine on the all-tournament team.
• Lighting up the Scoreboard at Home- Minnesota has scored 80 or more points in its first three home games this season. The Gophers have shot 50 percent or better from the floor in the last two games.
• Busy November - Minnesota will play its first seven games in the span of just two weeks. After the North Dakota State game, the Gophers travel to the Bahamas to play two games in the Junkanoo Jam
Gophers Host Neighbors to the West
Minnesota continues a brutal early-season schedule with its fifth game of the season playing host to North Dakota State on Tuesday. The Golden Gophers are 3-1on the season after capturing the Subway Classic title over the weekend. Minnesota opens its season with a two-week stretch that includes seven games. North Dakota State is 1-2 on the season, dropping a 68-60 decision to Wyoming in its last outing.
Let’s Just Play Games
Players love it. Coaches, well, not so much. The Gophers’ early season schedule featured seven games, nearly a quarter of the season’s games, within the first two weeks of the season. That means little practice time and more game preparation. The NDSU game is the fifth of the seven game stretch.
No Blue Water Thoughts Until After NDSU
The Golden Gophers certainly cannot afford looking ahead to a Thanksgiving trip to the sunny and warm Bahamas until after they take care of business in playing North Dakota State. But for the purpose of game notes, it is noteworthy that the team has a 4 a.m. departure from Williams Arena on Wednesday morning. The Gophers will face TCU on Friday and then either Kansas or Xavier on Saturday in the Junkanoo Jam.
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 Tuesday. Roysland, a career 1,000-point career scorer during her Minnesota career, is in her second season on Carolyn DeHoff’s North Dakota State coaching staff. Roysland has an endowed scholarship at Minnesota named in her honor.
Could Irony Strike Again?
Ashley Ellis-Milan is 15 points from passing Kelly Roysland on the Golden Gophers’ all-time scoring list. Ellis-Milan enters the game with 1,059 points, while Roysland finished her Minnesota career with a total of 1,074 to rank 13th in Gopher history.
Why the irony?
Last season, Emily Fox bypassed Roysland on the Gophers’ all-time scorer’s list in the game against North Dakota State. Now could it be another former teammate of Roysland dashing past her as she watches from the opposing bench?
Roysland, Fox and Ellis-Milan were members of the Gophers’ starting lineup in the 2006-07 season.
Minnesota Wins Subway Classic Title
Minnesota captured the 2009 Subway Basketball Classic title with an 87-78 victory over Colorado in the championship game. The Gophers have won their own early-season tourney in nine of the last 10 years and a total of 15 times.
Ellis-Milan Named Subway Classic MVP
Ashley Ellis-Milan was named the Subway Classic Most Valuable Player after two solid performances in the tournament. Ellis-Milan averaged 17.5 points per game, making 12-of-19 shots from the floor and a perfect 11-for-11 from the free throw line.
Buford and Antoine Claim All-Tourney Honors
The Gophers also had Kiara Buford and China Antoine named to the all-tournament team. Buford was as deserving as Ellis-Milan for MVP accord. She averaged 19.5 points in the Classic, including a career-high 24-point outing in the championship game versus Colorado. Like Ellis-Milan, Buford was perfect from the line over the weekend going 15-for-15, and 11-for-11 versus Colorado.
Antoine earned her All-Classic honor by coming off the bench and providing a great spark of energy for the Gophers on both ends of the court. She averaged 10.0 points a game and dished out a career-high seven assists versus Illinois-Chicago.
Inquiring Minds Wanted to Know...
The last time Minnesota scored 80 or more points in their first three home games was in the 2003-04 season with 93 vs. Souther, 95 vs. Colorado and 82 vs. Creighton. The previous season, 2002-03, the Gophers scored 80 or more in their first four home games: 116 vs. IPFW, 93 vs. Radford, 88 vs. UMKC and 98 vs. Michigan.
Back-to-Back Hot Shooting Games for Gophers
Minnesota shot 59.6 percent against Illinois-Chicago and then 50.0 percent against Colorado. The Gophers’ last consecutive games shooting 50 percent or better dates back to Jan. 18 (Michigan - 54.0 percent) and Jan. 21 (Iowa - 50.8 percent), 2006. Surprisingly, both those games were on the road. Earlier that season, the Gophers had back-to-back home games shooting 50 percent or better as well (Nebraska, Washington State).
Not Quite a Record, But Pretty Darn Impressive
Minnesota hit 30-of-34 free throws in the win over Colorado for an accuracy rating of 88.2 percent. The Gopher record for the most free throw in a game is 32, which has occurred three times, the last coming vs. Kansas State in the 1993-94 season. The percentage in a a game with at least one miss was 21-of-22 for 95.5 percent vs. Michigan State in 2001-02.
Buford Goes 11-for-11
Kiara Buford was a perfect 11-for-11 from the free throw line in the Colorado win. Buford is the sixth player in Minnesota history to go 100 percent from the line with 11 or more attempts.
Pam Borton Radio on Monday
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. Golden Gopher radio personalities Corbu Stathes and Lynnette Sjoquist host the program. The next show is Monday, Nov. 30.
When You’re Hot, You’re Hot
Minnesota shot a blistering 59.6 percent from the floor in the win over Illinois-Chicago. It’s been a while since the Gophers posted that kind of percentage. In fact, one has to go back to Dec. 3, 2005, when the Gophers shot better – 61.0 percent (25-41) vs. Nebraska.
Stealing the Spotlight
As effective as the Gophers’ offense was in the win over Illinois-Chicago, the Minnesota defense deserves an ever louder shout-out. The Gophers collected 18 steals (school record is 24) in the game with five players, led by Brittany McCoy with five, grabbing more than one.
Something About the Number 11
Freshman guard Leah Cotton, who wears the number 11 on her jersey enjoyed a great weekend of play in the Subway Classic. In the championship game versus Colorado, Cotton was 3-for-3 from the floor, 2-for-2 from three-point range and 3-for-3 from the free throw line for 11 points. Those 11 points were scored in 11 minutes. Guess how many points she scored against Illinois-Chicago in the Gophers’ first game of the Classic? You guessed it – 11.
Brittany McCoy in Triple Digits for Starts
Senior Brittany McCoy made her 101st career start of her Gopher career in the game versus Colorado. McCoy has started every game of her high school and college basketball career. The Minnesota record for consecutive starts is held by Lindsay Whalen (2001-04), who started 111 straight during her Gopher career.
1,000 Points in the Books
Gopher center Ashley Ellis-Milan grabbed an offensive rebound off a Katie Ohm three-point field goal attempt and banked home a short jumper early in the Lamar game to score her 1,000th career point. Ellis-Milan is the 19th Gopher to surpass the 1,000-points milestone.
Moving On Up and Quickly
Ashley Ellis-Milan has already moved up five spots on the Minnesota all-time scoring list since joining the 1,000 career points club. She is now No. 14 with 1,059 career points. Ellis-Milan’s cousin Linda Roberts (1977-81) ranks No. 4 in Gopher scoring history with 1.056 points.
Ellis-Milan is also working her way up the career rebounds list. She is currently No. 8 on the list with 716 career rebounds.
This China Far From Fragile
China Antoine has played important minutes off the bench for the Gophers at the backup point guard position. Antoine is averaging 8.0 points a game with two contests in double figures (Utah, Colorado). She is also contributing 3.7 assists and 2.3 steals per game.
Harper Working Hard on the Boards
Senior Zoe Harper is one of the team’s leaders in rebounding, averaging 5.0 rebounds a game. Early this season, Harper has been an effective collector of rebounds as her 20 rebounds have come in an average of 15.5 minutes a game.
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