University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Resume Big Ten Slate at Purdue on Dec. 28
12/25/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Minnesota Golden Gophers (8-4, 1-0)
vs.
Purdue Boilermakers (5-6, 0-1)
LOCATION Mackey Arena (14,123) / West Lafayette, Ind.
DATE / TIME: Monday, Dec. 28 / 6:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. CT
TELEVISION: Big Ten Network
RADIO/WEBCAST: Gopher Radio Network, WCCO 830 AM
Corbu Stathes (Play-by-Play), Lynnette Sjoquist (Color Analysis)
Gophersports.com
Golden Gopher Watch List — Dec. 28, 2009
• Gophers Return to Big Ten Play at Purdue - Minnesota (8-4, 1-0) returns to its Big Ten schedule on Monday, Dec. 28, when the Gophers travel to Purdue. Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m. ET (5:30 CT).
• Purdue Game on BTN - The Minnesota/Purdue game will be broadcast live by the Big Ten Network.
• First Game in 12 Days - Minnesota has been off since a 91-51 home victory over Santa Clara on Dec. 16. During the break, the Gophers enjoyed a week of final exams and a few days off for the Christmas holiday.
• Antoine Moves into Starting Lineup - Junior China Antoine made quite the impact in her first start of her Golden Gopher career. Antoine scored a career-high 15 points, including a trio of three-point field goals in the win over Santa Clara.
• McCoy Closing in on Consecutive Starts Record - Senior Brittany McCoy will start her 110th consecutive game when the Gophers face Purdue. The Minnesota record for consecutive starts is 111 held by Lindsay Whalen.
Gophers Resume Big Ten Season at Purdue
Minnesota travels to West Lafayette, Ind., on Monday, Dec. 28 to resume the Big Ten Conference season against Purdue. The Golden Gophers are 8-4 overall and 1-0 in Big Ten play. The Gophers last game was on Dec. 16, a 91-51 home win over Santa Clara. Purdue owns a record of 5-6 overall and 0-1 in Conference action.
Just About Basketball For a While
The Gophers will play six games on winter break before the players return to classes on Tuesday, Jan. 19.
Pam Borton Radio on Monday, Just Not This Week
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, Jan. 4.
Brittany McCoy Closing In Starts Record
Senior Brittany McCoy made her 109th career start of her Gopher career in the game versus Santa Clara. 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.
Antoine Shines in First Start
Guard China Antoine made her first four field goal attempts and went on to score a career-high 15 points against Santa Clara in her first game in the Gophers’ starting lineup. Antoine shot an impressive 6-for-8 from the floor and 3-of-4 from three-point range.
Lots of Positives in the Win
Minnesota enjoyed one of its best all-around outings in the win over Santa Clara. The Gophers had five players tally double figures scoring (Kiara Buford, 19; China Antoine, 15; Ashley Ellis-Milan, 12; Katie Ohm, 11; and Zoe Harper, 11) as Minnesota shot 40 percent (33-66) and compiled their second-highest scoring output of the season with 91 points. Minnesota also connected on 16-of-18 free throws for 88.9 percent. The Gophers forced 30 Santa Clara turnovers and was credited with 18 steals, while only committing 12 turnovers on the offensive end.
Ohm Responds With Big Night
There isn’t a player who likes to be benched. Katie Ohm saw her streak of 55 consecutive starts end versus Santa Clara, but to her credit she responded with maturity and class, and a big game. Ohm scored 11 points in 17 minutes off the bench and hit a season-high three three-point field goals. She added three rebounds, two assists and three steals.
Productive Minutes for Harper
Zoe Harper continued to be a solid source of relief in the post for the Gophers and has a knack for making the most of her minutes played. In the win over Santa Clara, Harper scored a season-high 11 points and grabbed six rebounds, all on the offensive end, in just 15 minutes of action.
Put an Asterisk by McCoy and Voigt
The box score reveals that Brittany McCoy and Jackie Voigt were the only starters who didn’t score in double figures versus Santa Clara. Instead, they were big reasons why five other Gophers did post double-digit games. McCoy and Voigt each dished out six assists, a career best for Voigt.
The Great Ball of China
Junior China Antoine has provided a nice scoring punch to the Gopher perimeter and is averaging 7.7 points a game. She has seven games this season where she has contributed two or more three-pointers to the Gophers’ scoring output.
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 57.6 points per game. Minnesota has held teams to less than 50 points four games this season. Pressure defense has caused opponents into an average of 20.8 turnovers a game with an average of 10.8 of those turnovers as a result of Gopher steals.
McCoy Moves up to No. 3 Spot in Career Assists
Senior Brittany McCoy has 417 assists in her Gopher career to pass Emily Fox (414, 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 208.
Gophers Set Single-Game Record From Three
Minnesota made 8-of-11 three-point field goals in the win over Idaho State on Dec. 9 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.
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 eight wins this season, the Gophers attempted an average of 25.6 per game. In comparison, Minnesota has attempt a total of just 67 free throws, an average of 16.8 attempts, in its four losses.
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 106 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 1,137 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 766 career rebounds.
Voigt Playing Bigger Role
Jackie Voigt had a string of seven straight games scoring in double figures snapped versus Iowa State. Voigt tallied only three double-figure scoring games last season. In her second season as a Gopher starter at forward, Voigt is averaging 9.6 points per game and has earned team game scoring honors two times.
Scouting Purdue
Purdue has struggled this season and returned to Big Ten action with a 5-6 overall record. The Boilermakers opened their Big Ten campaign with a 60-58 loss at Northwestern. Despite their overall record, the Boilermakers still feature several of the top perimeter players in the Big Ten. Sophomore Brittany Rayburn in averaging 16.4 points per game, while speedy point guard FahKara Malone checks in at 7.1 points, 4.4 assists and 3.0 steals a game. Senior three-point shooter Jodi Howell is hitting 44.2 percent from behind the arc and averaging 8.5 points a game.
The Minnesota / Purdue Series
Purdue leads the series with Minnesota by a 35-16 margin. The Boilermakers have won six of the last seven games, including the sweep a year ago.
vs.
Purdue Boilermakers (5-6, 0-1)
LOCATION Mackey Arena (14,123) / West Lafayette, Ind.
DATE / TIME: Monday, Dec. 28 / 6:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. CT
TELEVISION: Big Ten Network
RADIO/WEBCAST: Gopher Radio Network, WCCO 830 AM
Corbu Stathes (Play-by-Play), Lynnette Sjoquist (Color Analysis)
Gophersports.com
Golden Gopher Watch List — Dec. 28, 2009
• Gophers Return to Big Ten Play at Purdue - Minnesota (8-4, 1-0) returns to its Big Ten schedule on Monday, Dec. 28, when the Gophers travel to Purdue. Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m. ET (5:30 CT).
• Purdue Game on BTN - The Minnesota/Purdue game will be broadcast live by the Big Ten Network.
• First Game in 12 Days - Minnesota has been off since a 91-51 home victory over Santa Clara on Dec. 16. During the break, the Gophers enjoyed a week of final exams and a few days off for the Christmas holiday.
• Antoine Moves into Starting Lineup - Junior China Antoine made quite the impact in her first start of her Golden Gopher career. Antoine scored a career-high 15 points, including a trio of three-point field goals in the win over Santa Clara.
• McCoy Closing in on Consecutive Starts Record - Senior Brittany McCoy will start her 110th consecutive game when the Gophers face Purdue. The Minnesota record for consecutive starts is 111 held by Lindsay Whalen.
Gophers Resume Big Ten Season at Purdue
Minnesota travels to West Lafayette, Ind., on Monday, Dec. 28 to resume the Big Ten Conference season against Purdue. The Golden Gophers are 8-4 overall and 1-0 in Big Ten play. The Gophers last game was on Dec. 16, a 91-51 home win over Santa Clara. Purdue owns a record of 5-6 overall and 0-1 in Conference action.
Just About Basketball For a While
The Gophers will play six games on winter break before the players return to classes on Tuesday, Jan. 19.
Pam Borton Radio on Monday, Just Not This Week
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, Jan. 4.
Brittany McCoy Closing In Starts Record
Senior Brittany McCoy made her 109th career start of her Gopher career in the game versus Santa Clara. 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.
Antoine Shines in First Start
Guard China Antoine made her first four field goal attempts and went on to score a career-high 15 points against Santa Clara in her first game in the Gophers’ starting lineup. Antoine shot an impressive 6-for-8 from the floor and 3-of-4 from three-point range.
Lots of Positives in the Win
Minnesota enjoyed one of its best all-around outings in the win over Santa Clara. The Gophers had five players tally double figures scoring (Kiara Buford, 19; China Antoine, 15; Ashley Ellis-Milan, 12; Katie Ohm, 11; and Zoe Harper, 11) as Minnesota shot 40 percent (33-66) and compiled their second-highest scoring output of the season with 91 points. Minnesota also connected on 16-of-18 free throws for 88.9 percent. The Gophers forced 30 Santa Clara turnovers and was credited with 18 steals, while only committing 12 turnovers on the offensive end.
Ohm Responds With Big Night
There isn’t a player who likes to be benched. Katie Ohm saw her streak of 55 consecutive starts end versus Santa Clara, but to her credit she responded with maturity and class, and a big game. Ohm scored 11 points in 17 minutes off the bench and hit a season-high three three-point field goals. She added three rebounds, two assists and three steals.
Productive Minutes for Harper
Zoe Harper continued to be a solid source of relief in the post for the Gophers and has a knack for making the most of her minutes played. In the win over Santa Clara, Harper scored a season-high 11 points and grabbed six rebounds, all on the offensive end, in just 15 minutes of action.
Put an Asterisk by McCoy and Voigt
The box score reveals that Brittany McCoy and Jackie Voigt were the only starters who didn’t score in double figures versus Santa Clara. Instead, they were big reasons why five other Gophers did post double-digit games. McCoy and Voigt each dished out six assists, a career best for Voigt.
The Great Ball of China
Junior China Antoine has provided a nice scoring punch to the Gopher perimeter and is averaging 7.7 points a game. She has seven games this season where she has contributed two or more three-pointers to the Gophers’ scoring output.
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 57.6 points per game. Minnesota has held teams to less than 50 points four games this season. Pressure defense has caused opponents into an average of 20.8 turnovers a game with an average of 10.8 of those turnovers as a result of Gopher steals.
McCoy Moves up to No. 3 Spot in Career Assists
Senior Brittany McCoy has 417 assists in her Gopher career to pass Emily Fox (414, 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 208.
Gophers Set Single-Game Record From Three
Minnesota made 8-of-11 three-point field goals in the win over Idaho State on Dec. 9 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.
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 eight wins this season, the Gophers attempted an average of 25.6 per game. In comparison, Minnesota has attempt a total of just 67 free throws, an average of 16.8 attempts, in its four losses.
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 106 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 1,137 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 766 career rebounds.
Voigt Playing Bigger Role
Jackie Voigt had a string of seven straight games scoring in double figures snapped versus Iowa State. Voigt tallied only three double-figure scoring games last season. In her second season as a Gopher starter at forward, Voigt is averaging 9.6 points per game and has earned team game scoring honors two times.
Scouting Purdue
Purdue has struggled this season and returned to Big Ten action with a 5-6 overall record. The Boilermakers opened their Big Ten campaign with a 60-58 loss at Northwestern. Despite their overall record, the Boilermakers still feature several of the top perimeter players in the Big Ten. Sophomore Brittany Rayburn in averaging 16.4 points per game, while speedy point guard FahKara Malone checks in at 7.1 points, 4.4 assists and 3.0 steals a game. Senior three-point shooter Jodi Howell is hitting 44.2 percent from behind the arc and averaging 8.5 points a game.
The Minnesota / Purdue Series
Purdue leads the series with Minnesota by a 35-16 margin. The Boilermakers have won six of the last seven games, including the sweep a year ago.
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