University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
Michigan State
Gophers Lose to Michigan State
1/24/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Minnesota lost a 10-point se
cond half lead as Michigan State handed the Golden Gophers a 66-57 loss in Big Ten play at Williams Arena on Sunday. The Gophers dropped to 11-8 overall and 4-4 in Conference play. Ashley Ellis-Milan led the Gophers with 12 points, while Kiara Buford added 11.
The game seemed to be going Minnesota’s way. The Gophers sped to a 7-0 lead early on and extended it to 12-4 by the first media time out with Ellis-Milan scoring six points. The Spartans (13-7, 4-5) fought back to tie the score at 21-21 at 4:21 on five consecutive points by forward Lykendra Johnson.
The teams exchanged baskets as the first half concluded. Brittany McCoy hit two free throws and Katie Ohm one as the Gophers edged ahead 32-29 at intermission.
Michigan State’s Brittany Thomas hit a jumper to start the second half to bring the Spartans to within a point before the Gophers went on a 9-0 run to grab their biggest lead of the game at 41-31 on a Kiara Buford jumper with 15:25 remaining.
The Spartans came back behind the shooting of Kalisha Keane who hit seven points on a 13-3 Michigan State run that tied the score at 44-44 with 10:24 left to play.
Zoe Harper, who scored seven points off the bench, leaned in for a right-handed lay-in to give the Gophers their last lead of the game at 46-44 but it was not enough to halt the Spartan momentum.
Michigan State scored the next six points, including two free throws by Allyssa DeHaan. DeHaan was held to just four points and four rebounds. Instead it was Keane that continued to push the Spartans into the lead. Keane scored 13 of her game-high 16 points in the second half.
Minnesota made just 2-of-8 field goals and turned the ball over five times in the last 10 minutes of the game. The Spartans took their biggest lead – 12 points – on a jumper by Alisha Jefferson.
Ohm, who started in place of the injured China Antoine, hit a three-pointer at the buzzer. Ohm hit a trio of three-pointers and finished with 10 points.
Minnesota continues Big Ten play on Thursday with a game at Ohio State.
Quotes
Minnesota Head Coach Pam Borton
On the end of the game:
“Obviously that was a tough last 10 minutes of the game. Their second and third opportunities on the glass hurt us. I thought defensively we broke down a lot in the last ten minutes which gave them very easy baskets.”
On the performance of Minnesota’s guards:
“That’s where we miss China [Antoine]. Brittany [McCoy] right now is the only one who can affectively get into the lane. Kiara [Buford] did it sometimes, but I thought that they did a good job keeping our guards out of the lane.”
On Michigan State’s rebounding:
“They were just tougher. It’s toughness. It doesn’t take a whole lot of skill to rebound. It takes determination and just a willingness to get in there.”
Senior Guard Katie Ohm
On how Michigan State took control of the game:
“I just feel like we couldn’t get a stop. They came down and scored every time. They were tougher than us. I think a lot of it came down to defense.”
Senior Forward/Center Ashley Ellis-Milan
On playing against Allyssa DeHaan:
“I was fine. I’ve been going against her for four years now. I know what I need to do. I did my best to stay active in the post and not get my shots blocked.”
Michigan State Head Coach Suzy Merchant
On the second half:
“I think we handled the pressure better and capitalized on more opportunities. Our defensive ball was tighter, and our offense kept their composure a little better.”
On defense:
“If you can’t defend people you have a problem. The scoring piece will come, but without defense you’re in trouble. Our defense has always been there.”
On bench play:
“I thought the girls off the bench were big on scoring for us. Lauren [Aitch] was huge for us on offense and Porsche [Poole] really defended and gave us a spark even though her stats may not show it.”
Game Notes
Brittany McCoy extended her consecutive starts record to 116. This is the most in Gophers history, and if she starts every game throughout the rest of the season she will be the first to have started every game in a complete career with the University of Minnesota.
Katie Ohm returned to the starting lineup against the Spartans, marking the first time she has been with the starting five since Dec. 13th, 2009 in a game against Iowa State. In her return she a trio of three-pointers in the game. This marked the first time this season that she posted three makes from beyond the arc.
The Gophers defense held All-American and Wade Trophy candidate, Allyssa DeHaan, to only 4 points.
Three Gophers scored in the double digits against Michigan State. The three Lady Gophers to do so were Katie Ohm with 10, Ashley Ellis-Milan with 12, and Kiara Buford with 11.
China Antoine was out of the contest today against Michigan State due to having a knee scope on Monday. The Gophers are 0-2 without China Antoine on the court.
The Gophers depend heavily on their free throw shooting. In their 11 wins this season they had an average of 24.4 per game. Michigan State only allowed the Gophers to make 16 trips to the foul line in the 66-57 loss to the Spartans.
With 4 offensive rebounds Ashley Ellis-Milan moved into the third spot all-time for the Gophers. With 324 she passed up Carol Ann Shudick’s previous mark of 321.
The Barn has been good to the Gophers this season, but this wasn’t the case in the matchup today. This loss dropped the Gophers to 10-2 at Williams Arena this season.
