University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Face Iowa State on Sunday
12/11/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Minnesota Golden Gophers (7-3)
vs.
Iowa State Cycolones (6-1)
LOCATION Williams Arena (14,625) / Minneapolis, Minn.
DATE / TIME: Sunday, Dec. 13 / 3:30 p.m. CT
TELEVISION: Big Ten Network
Craig Coshun (Play-by-Play), Vera Jones (Color Analysis)
RADIO/WEBCAST: Gopher Radio Network, WCCO 830 AM
Corbu Stathes (Play-by-Play), Lynnette Sjoquist (Color Analysis)
Gophersports.com
Golden Gopher Watch List — Dec. 13, 2009
• Gophers Host Iowa State - Minnesota (7-3) plays host to Iowa State on Sunday, Dec. 13 in a battle of school separated by about 3 1/2 hours on Interstate 35. Tip-off is set for 3:30 p.m.
• Game Live on Big Ten Network - The Gophers’ game versus Iowa State will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network. Calling the game will be Craig Coshun and Vera Jones.
• Gophers Set Record in Win - Minnesota made 8-of-11 three-point field goals for a Gopher single-game record 72.7 percent in a 79-44 victory over Idaho State on Wednesday. Kiara Buford led all scorers with 13 points.
• Doing it with Defense - Minnesota has held four teams to under 50 points this season and has a defensive average of 56.3 points a game. Iowa State comes in averaging 78.4 points a game.
• Big Ten Schedule Back in Waiting - After playing an early BIg Ten game in the first weekend of December, the Conference schedule takes a long break for final exams and the Christmas holiday. The Gophers’ next Big Ten game is Dec. 28 at Purdue.
Gophers Host Iowa State
Minnesota plays host to Iowa State on Sunday, Dec. 13, at 3:30 p.m. in Williams Arena. The Golden Gophers are 7-3, with wins in their last two games over Penn State and Idaho State. Iowa State travels to the Twin Cities with a 6-1 record, fresh off an impressive 85-66 victory over in-state rival Iowa on Thursday.
Minnesota / Iowa State Game on BTN
The Big Ten Network (BTN) will broadcast Sunday’s game live with Craig Coshun providing the play-by-play and Vera Jones the color commentary.
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, Dec. 14.
The I-35 Battle
This is one of those games that just makes sense on the non-conference schedule for both Minnesota and Iowa State. The Iowa State/Minnesota game is the 18th of the series between the two schools about a three-hour drive apart on Interstate 35. Not only is Iowa State the closest NCAA Division I school to Minnesota, the Cyclones also offer a great contest between th Big 12 Conference and the Big Ten Conference. Iowa State won the contest in Ames last season, but Minnesota still owns a 9-7 advantage in the series.
Big Ten / Big 12 Battle Set for Next Season
The Big Ten Conference and the Big 12 Conference will begin a challenge pitting the two conferences against each other in non-conference action next season. Minnesota will face Baylor in Waco, Texas, next season in their Big Ten/Big 12 Challenge game. The Bears will play in Minneapolis the following season.
Doing it with Defense
Minnesota must rely on its defense, game in and game out, to be a steady force in the Gopher game plan. The Gopher “D” has responded by giving up an average of 56.3 points per game. Minnesota has held teams to less than 50 points in its last two games (and a total of four games this season) with Penn State scoring 48 and Idaho State 44. Pressure defense has caused opponents into an average of 20.9 turnovers a game with an average of 10.8 of those turnovers as a result of Gopher steals.
Defending the Home Court in The Barn
Williams Arena is one of the toughest places to play in the nation for opposing teams. During Pam Borton’s coaching tenure, the Golden Gophers have compiled an impressive 88-19 (82%) record in their home games. Minnesota is 6-0 in The Barn this season.
Back to Non-Conference Action
Minnesota returns to non-conference action for three games after a scheduling oddity plopped the Big Ten opener in the first weekend of December. The Gophers face Idaho State, Iowa State and Santa Clara before taking a break for final exams and the Christmas holiday. Minnesota resumes Big Ten play on Dec. 28 at Purdue.
Gophers Set Single-Game Record From Three
Minnesota made 8-of-11 three-point field goals in the win over Idaho State on Wednesday setting a new single-game record for percentage from behind the arc at 72.7 percent. The previous record was 70.0 percent (7-10) versus Iowa in a 1996 contest. Against Idaho State, four players (Katie Ohm, Kiara Buford, China Antoine and Jackie Voigt) hit a pair of trifectas.
Scoring, Like Minutes Played, Balanced
There is nothing like a 35-point game to give you squad a chance to spread around both the scoring opportunities and the minutes of playing time. The Gophers had nine players with over 13 minutes of action in the Idaho State game, with seven scoring seven or more points. Kiara Buford captured game honors with just 13 points.
Box This Up, and Out
Minnesota has averaged a positive rebounding margin of 19.0 boards over the last two games. If a trend like this continues, the Gopher defense will be even more powerful. Emphasis on rebounding is important regardless of who is on the floor. The Gopher starters average 22.7 rebounds a game, reserves - 18.0.
Fast Out of the Blocks
Minnesota has proven to be a team that gets a nice jump on its opponents from the opening tip. The Gophers started the season with a 20-0 burst against Lamar and has followed the trend in several games since:
Illinois-Chicago 20-5
Colorado 17-7
North Dakota State 13-3
TCU 22-7
Maryland 7-0
Penn State 10-0
McCoy Passes 400-Assist Milestone, Literally
Senior Brittany McCoy dished out four assists in the Maryland game to surpass the 400-career assists milestone. She currently has 407 assists in her Gopher career. McCoy is seven assists from passing Emily Fox (2005-09) and into third on the Gophers’ all-time assists list. She collected her 200th career steal in the game versus Penn State and has 204.
One Point at a Time is a Good Thing for Gophers
A key to the Golden Gophers’ offense is getting to the free throw line. In seven wins this season, the Gophers attempted an average of 26.7 per game. In comparison, Minnesota has attempt a total of just 43 free throws, an average of 14.3 attempts, in its three losses.
Brittany McCoy Closing In Starts Record
Senior Brittany McCoy made her 107th career start of her Gopher career in the game versus Idaho State. 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. McCoy has the chance to become the first player to start every game during a four-year career.
Ellis-Milan Joins McCoy with Triple-Digit Starts
Ashley Ellis-Milan started her 100th game as a Golden Gopher in the TCU game and now has a consecutive starting streak of 104 straight games. Earlier this season, Brittany McCoy proceeded Ellis-Milan in triple digits for career starts.
Ellis-Milan Moving On Up and Quickly
Ashley Ellis-Milan has already moved up six spots on the Minnesota all-time scoring list since joining the 1,000 career points club in the season-opener versus Lamar. She is now No. 13 with 1,118 career points. Ellis-Milan’s cousin Linda Roberts (1977-81) ranks No. 4 in Gopher scoring history with 1.856 points.
Ellis-Milan is also working her way up the career rebounds list. She is currently No. 6 on the list with 757 career rebounds.
Voigt Playing Bigger Role
Jackie Voigt has a string of seven straight games scoring in double figures, also her total for the season. Voigt tallied only three double-figure scoring games last season. In her second season as a Gopher starter at forward, Voigt is averaging 11.0 points per game and has earned team game scoring honors two times.
Sharing the Honors
Four different Golden Gopher have earned game scoring honors this season (Ashley Ellis-Milan, Kiara Buford, Leah Cotton and Jackie Voigt). Buford have led the Gophers in scoring four times this season.
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 6.6 points a game with two contests in double figures (Utah, Colorado). She is also contributing 2.9 assists and 2.0 steals per game.
Plenty of Experience in Starting Lineup
The Gophers have four veteran starters in Brittany McCoy, Ashley Ellis-Milan, Katie Ohm and Jackie Voigt, who combined have 313 games of starting experience. Kiara Buford is in her first season as a starter. All together that’s 323 games of starting experience.
Ohm Aims to Chase School Three-Point Mark
Katie Ohm plays her senior season with the Minnesota school record for three-point field goals in her sights. Ohm is ranked third with 167 three-pointers, 63 from Shannon Schonrock’s (2002-06) career total of 230. Ohm notched a Minnesota single-season record with 74 triples a year ago.
Scouting Iowa State
Iowa State makes the trip north up Interstate 35 to the Twin Cities with a 6-1 record on the season. The Cyclones’ lone loss was a 78-75 upset at Drake. In their last game, an 85-66 win at home over in-state rival Iowa, the Cyclones shot 34 three-point field goals, making 16. Sharpshooting senior guard Alison Lacey leads the way for Iowa State averaging 16.4 points a game. Lacey, from Canberra, Australia, has over 1,000 points and 200 three-point field goals in her Cyclone career. She was an All-Big Ten second team selection a year ago. Lacey scored a triple-double versus Iowa with 19 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists. Junior guard Kelsey Bolte, who scored 26 points with eight three-pointers versus Iowa, is averaging 14.8 points a game.
The Minnesota / Iowa State Series
Minnesota owns a 9-7 advantage in the series with Iowa State, though only four of
those meetings have come in the last decade.
