University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
North Carolina State
Minnesota Defeats NC State for Third Place
11/28/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Minnesota held off North Carolina State for a 71-67 win to capture third-place at the Nugget Classic in Reno, Nev., on Saturday evening.
Both teams got off to a slow start shooting the ball, with Minnesota (4-3) making just two of its first seven field goal attempts, and North Carolina State hitting just two of eight at the outset.
But sophomore guard Leah Cotton came off the bench and was a spark for the Golden Gophers. Cotton made 4-of-9 field goals and 6-of-8 free throws for a game-high 15 points in the opening half. Fellow sophomore, forward Katie Loberg, added eight points on 4-of-6 field goals.
Trailing 20-17 with 8:31 left in the half, Cotton made four free throws to give the Gophers their first lead, 21-20, at the 6:49 mark. She then made a pair of field goals to put Minnesota up 25-22 with 5:40 remaining before the break. At the half, Minnesota led by a single point, 33-32.
As a team in the opening 20 minutes, Minnesota made just 12-of-34 (.353) attempts, including 1-of-9 from long-range. But the Gophers were 8-of-10 at the free throw line, compared to just 4-of-5 for the Wolfpack.
North Carolina State (3-4) wasn't much better in the first half, making just 13-of-33 (.394) field goals, which included 2-of-12 (.167) treys. The Wolfpack were led by Bonae Holston's 12 points on 6-of-8 attempts.
Needing a spark in the second half, and battling back-and-forth for the lead, the Gophers turned to senior forward Kristen Dockery, and she responded with the best scoring effort of her career. Trailing 51-50, Dockery would score eight-straight points to give Minnesota a five-point advantage at 58-53 with 7:59 remaining.
Cotton then scored the next four points, before Dockery scored again at the 5:46 mark for a 64-57 edge. Cotton and Dockery both finished with career-high point totals, as Cotton tallied 25 points and Dockery added 12. Cotton was 12-of-14 at the free throw line, and also added five steals, four assists, and four rebounds to earn a spot on the all-tournament team, while Loberg tied her season-high with 15 points on 7-of-11 field goals.
For the game, Minnesota heated up to shoot 25-of-57 (.439), and the Gophers were 17-of-21 (.810) at the free throw line. The Gophers made 13-of-23 (.565) second-half field goals, including 3-of-5 treys, and 9-of-11 free throws. Cotton, Dockery, and Loberg combined to make 18-of-33 field goal attempts in the game.
Junior forward Jackie Voigt also played well for the Gophers, with nine points, eight rebounds, and four assists, while senior guard China Antoine had seven rebounds, five points, five assists, and three steals. Minnesota recorded 13 steals in the game.
Holston finished with 18 points and nine rebounds to pace North Carolina State.
The Gophers return home to play host to Virginia Tech for the annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge Thursday at 7:00 p.m. (CST) in Williams Arena. The Hokies will enter the game with a record of 4-2 after a pair of losses at the Caribbean Challenge in Playa del Carmen, Mexico.
For ticket information, call 612.624.8080 or 1.800.U.GOPHER, or visit www.mygophersports.com.
