University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
Northern Illinois
Minnesota Advances to Best Buy Classic Championship
11/13/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
The University of Minnesota women's basketball team opened its 2010-11 regular season Saturday afternoon, defeating Northern Illinois by a score of 79-58 in the opening round of the Best Buy Classic at Williams Arena.
Minnesota jumped out to an early 13-2 lead, with sophomore forward Katie Loberg scoring six of the first eight points for the Gophers, and sophomore guard Leah Cotton knocking down a three-pointer at the 12:09 mark to stake Minnesota to an 11-point advantage.
The Huskies responded with a 9-3 run to cut Minnesota's lead to 16-11 with 9:31 left in the half, but junior forward Jackie Voigt scored on a three-point play, followed by a three-pointer by junior guard Kiara Buford to push the Golden Gophers' lead back to 12 points at 23-11.
Once again, NIU made a run at Minnesota, getting within 25-19 with 4:38 remaining before the half. But, in a first half full of scoring runs, the Gophers extended their lead back to 11 points at 32-21 with 3:07 left by going on a 7-2 spurt.
Not surprisingly, the Huskies fought back by outscoring Minnesota 9-0 over the next 1:22 to pull within two points, 32-30. Courtney Shelton, who tallied a game-high 15 first-half points for the Huskies, knocked down a pair of treys to key the stretch for NIU.
Would it be shocking to know that Minnesota responded with a run of its own? It did, as the home team closed the half with a 10-0 run to take a 12-point advantage into the lockerroom. Cotton made four free throws, Buford tallied four points, and Voigt dropped in a three to account for the points.
In the second half, the Gophers took control of the game, pushing the lead to as many as 21 points. For the game, Minnesota was incredibly effective shooting the ball, making 26-of-43 (.605) field goals, including 7-of-13 (.538) three-pointers, and 20-of-29 (.690) free throws.
Minnesota was paced by 22 points from Buford, who made 8-of-10 field goal attempts and also came up with four steals in the game. Cotton finished with 18 points and six assists, both career-highs, while Loberg added 15 points, six boards, and three blocked shots. Voigt pulled down a career-high 14 rebounds, as the Gophers held a 41-21 advantage in rebounding.
NIU was led by 16 points and five assists by Shelton. Kim Davis was the only other player in double-figures, recoding 14 points and five boards.
Minnesota advances to play Green Bay (1-0) in the Best Buy Classic championship game at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday.
Green Bay 75, George Washington 51
Green Bay advanced to the title game of the Best Buy Classic on Saturday afternoon at Williams Arena by recording a 75-51 win against George Washington. The Phoenix, who finished five points shy of reaching last year's NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 with a mark of 28-5, outscored GW by 12 points in each half for the decisive 24-point victory.
Adrian Ritchie led Green Bay with 24 points on 9-of-15 shooting, including 3-of-6 from long range, while adding four assists and three steals. Four other players reached double-figures for the Phoenix, including Celeste Hoewisch (13 points, eight rebounds), Sarah Eichler (11), Stephanie Sension (11), and Kayla Tetschlag (10).
George Washington (0-1) was led by Danni Jackson with 13 points and four assists, while Megan Nipe had 12 points and five rebounds.
Free ticket vouchers are still available for Sunday's games at the Best Buy Classic. The vouchers can be picked up at any of the 19 Metro-area Best Buy locations, and each voucher is good for one bench seat at Williams Arena. Visit the Best Buy Customer Service desk to get yours. Supplies are limited and distributed on a first come, first served basis.
For other ticket information, call the Golden Gopher Ticket Office at 612.624.8080 or 1.800.U.GOPHER, or visit www.mygophersports.com.
