University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Host UMD in Final Exhibition
11/6/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Exhibition Game 2
Minnesota Golden Gophers
vs.
Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs
LOCATION Williams Arena (14,625) - Minneapolis, Minn.
DATE / TIME: Sunday, Nov. 8 / 2 p.m.
TELEVISION: none
RADIO / WEBCAST: none
Gophers Host Minnesota-Duluth in Exhibition Game
Minnesota will play host to Minnesota-Duluth on Sunday, Nov. 8, in the second of the Golden Gophers’ two exhibition games heading into the 2009 season. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. in Williams Arena.
Pam Borton Radio Show Kicks Off Monday, Nov. 9
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 first show of the season Monday, Nov. 9.
New Barn Floor
Williams Arena received a major facelift last summer when the original raised court of The Barn was replaced with new hardwood. The biggest change is a cosmetic one as a Minnesota “M” now graces centercourt instead of the basketball-playing Goldy Gopher. Minnesota fans may purchase a piece of the original Barn floor on the Gophers’ website: gophersports.com.
Season-Opening Success
Minnesota has won its season-opening games in eight of the last 10 years including a 6-1 mark during the tenure of Pam Borton. Overall, the Gophers , are 22-43 in openers since 1973-74 (results from the first two years of basketball, 1971-72 and 1972-73, are unavailable).
Borton Embarks on Eighth Year at Minnesota
Head coach Pam Borton begins her eighth 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 10th 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.
The Trio of Team Captains For 2009-10
The Golden Gopher team captains for the 2009-10 season are seniors Ashley Ellis-Milan, Brittany McCoy and Katie Ohm. Ellis-Milan and McCoy are two-year captains.
By the Numbers...
The Gophers welcome back 73 percent of the scoring, 87 percent of the rebounding and 63 percent of the assists from last season. Topping the list is Ashley Ellis-Milan, returning after averaging 11.9 points and 7.3 rebounds per game, and Brittany McCoy back with her 4.1 assists an outing.
Plenty of Experience in Starting Lineup
The Golden Gophers kick off the 2009-10 season with a mix of experience and youth on their roster. The Gophers return four starters in Brittany McCoy, Ashley Ellis-Milan, Katie Ohm and Jackie Voigt, who combined have 268 games of starting experience.
Preseason Poll Places Gophers Third, Fourth
The annual Big Ten Basketball Media Day was held in Chicago on Thursday, Oct. 29, with Minnesota head coach Pam Borton, and seniors Ashley Ellis-Milan and Brittany McCoy representing the Golden Gophers women’s basketball team at the event.
The Big Ten released the preseason polls of both the Conference coaches and media. The coaches predicted the Gophers to finish third, while the media tabbed Minnesota to finish fourth in the league standings. Ohio State was the favorite in both polls to repeat as the Big Ten team champion. Michigan State was picked to finish second.
“I was not surprised (about the Gophers being picked third),” said Borton. “We’re returning a veteran team. The teams ahead of us are pretty obvious for preseason picks with Michigan State returning a lot of seniors and Ohio State returning the Big Ten Defensive, Rookie and Player of the Year. I think a lot of people have respect for our program, the four returning starters from our team and how we finished last year.”
The 2009 Big Ten Player of the Year, Ohio State’s Jantel Lavender was tabbed as the Conference’s Preseason Player of the Year. Lavender was joined by Jenna Smith (Illinois), Allyssa DeHaan (Michigan State), Samantha Prahaulis (Ohio State) and Tyra Grant (Penn State) on the Preseason All-Big Ten Team.
Looking for the Sweep
Senior guard Brittany McCoy has the chance to build on an accomplishment in Gopher history that only she can claim. McCoy is the first player to collect over 100 assists during her freshman, sophomore and junior seasons. She has dished out 367 assists while starting each and every of her 97 career games.
Ellis-Milan the Power in the Post
Senior Ashley Ellis-Milan is a four-year starter at the post for the Gophers and has led the team in rebounding in each of her first three seasons. Ellis-Milan, an All-Big Ten Third Team pick in 2009, looks to join an elite group of only Linda Roberts (1977-81) and Laura Coenen (1981-85) to lead the Gophers in rebounding in all four years of a career.
Ohm Returns to Chase School Three-Point Mark
Katie Ohm brings her senior season with the Minnesota school record for three-point field goals in her sights. Ohm is ranked third with 156 three-pointers, 74 from Shannon Schonrock’s (2002-06) career total of 230. Ironically, Ohm notched a Minnesota single-season record with 74 triples a year ago.
Voigt a Steady Force in Low Post
Sophomore Jackie Voigt earned the starting nod at forward for the first game of her rookie season and has been a consistent performer for the Gophers ever since. Voigt averaged 5.8 points and 5.4 rebounds per game as a freshman.
Buford a Probable Starter For the Gophers
Sophomore Kiara Buford is expected to join the starting lineup for the Golden Gophers this season. Buford was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team last season after averaging 6.9 points and 2.3 rebounds per game.
Winona State Upsets Gophers in First Exhibition
Winona State’s Natalie Gigler hit a 12-foot jumper from the left baseline in one second left in the game to give the Warriors a 64-62 victory over Minnesota in exhibition action at Williams Arena on Wednesday. The Golden Gophers were led by Kiara Buford with 18 points.
The Gophers looked very much like a team playing its first exhibition game of the season. Minnesota shot only 31.4 percent in the first half. They pulled down 11 offensive rebounds in the half, but tallied only three points from the second-chance opportunities.
Meanwhile, Winona State caught fire. The Warriors hit eight first-half three-pointers to take a 33-28 lead into intermission. Senior guard Ana Wurtz notched four of those triples and torched the Gopher defense for 14 points in the first half and finished with a game-high 20.
Minnesota seemed to capture momentum with a 9-3 run to start the second half. Buford’s three-pointer with 17:18 remaining gave the Gophers a 37-36 lead. The lead changed hands several times over the course of the second half. Each time Minnesota made a push, the Warriors answered.
The Gophers took a 61-58 lead on an Ashley Ellis-Milan three-point play with 2:47 left and then regained possession on a Brittany McCoy steal. Buford, however, was called for an offensive foul driving for a layup.
Winona State closed to within a point (61-60) on a basket by Marieanna Dules with 1:54 remaining followed by Jackie Voigt tallying the final Gopher point on a free throw with 69 ticks left. Voigt missed the second free throw of the bonus but McCoy grabbed the offensive rebound. The Gophers were unable to capitalize on their 21st offensive rebound of the game and Winona State tied the score at 62-62 a lay-in by Michelle McDonald.
The Gophers worked the ball around and found Katie Ohm for a wide-open three-pointer with 25 seconds left. The shot just wouldn’t fall and Winona State secured the rebound. The Warriors did not call a time out but instead attacked the Gopher defense. Dules drove into the lane and dished to an open Gigler for the game winner.
Minnesota shot just 36.5 percent for the game, while Winona State connected on 50 percent, including a blistering 12-of-25 from three-point range. The Gophers ended up scoring just 12 points off of 21 offensive rebounds.
