University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Play Host to Wildcats on Thursday
1/25/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Minnesota hopes a return home will help it snap its seven-game losing streak to open Big Ten Conference play when it plays host to the Northwestern Wildcats on Thursday evening at 7:00 p.m. (CST). It will be Kiara Buford Community Day, and YWCA Silver Fox Basketball will perform at the half.
The Gophers are 8-12 overall and 0-7 in the Big Ten after dropping a 66-54 decision at #12 Michigan State on Sunday, while the Wildcats are 14-6 overall and 3-4 in the conference after falling in back-to-back games at Purdue (54-43) and at home against Michigan (76-67). Northwestern is playing its first game in a week.
Minnesota trailed by as many as 15 points in the first half at MSU, then rallied to within three points about midway through the second half before the Spartans pulled away down the stretch. Kiara Buford led Minnesota in scoring, making 9-of-18 field goals and 4-of-5 free throws to finish with a game-high total of 24 points. It marked the fourth time this season that Buford scored 20-plus points, but the first time since tallying a career-high 27 in the win over Virginia Tech on Dec. 2. Amber Dvorak came off the bench to record 10 points and seven rebounds, both career-high totals, while Leah Cotton had 10 points in the loss.
Individually, Minnesota has two of the top 10 scorers in the Big Ten, as Buford ranks eighth at 15.2 ppg and Cotton is 10th at 14.5 ppg. Buford has scored in double-figures in all but three games she's played in this season, while Cotton has led the Gophers in scoring nine times.
China Antoine is tied for third in the Big Ten for steals per game (2.4 spg), and is third for assists per game (4.4 apg) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.5). Jackie Voigt is 14th in rebounding (6.1 rpg), while Cotton also ties for 14th for field goal percentage (.455), and Buford is 12th for assists per game (3.2 apg).
Scouting Minnesota
The start to the Big Ten season has been frustrating so far for the Gophers, who have held double-digit leads in the second half of four games, only to wind up on the losing end of each contest.
Minnesota has twice fallen behind by a double-figure margin in the first half, then closed the gap to single digits, only to have its rally come up short of a victory. Sunday's 66-54 loss at #12 Michigan State was one of those games, as the Gophers trailed 40-25 late in the first half and cut the lead to 42-39 with 12:45 remaining in the game before falling by 12 points.
In that game, junior guard Kiara Buford led all scorers with 24 points, while adding five rebounds, three assists and three steals. But Buford turned the ball over seven times, and the Spartans took advantage by converting Minnesota's team total of 18 turnovers into 29 points. Redshirt freshman center Amber Dvorak came off the bench to reach double-figures for scoring (10 points) for the first time in her career and tied her career-high with seven rebounds, while sophomore guard Leah Cotton finished with 10 points.
Buford leads the team with an average of 15.2 ppg, with Cotton second at 14.5 ppg. Buford is averaging 17.3 ppg over her past four games, while Cotton is averaged 17.0 ppg over her past two contests after being limited to 10 total points in the losses at Wisconsin and Penn State.
Sophomore forward Katie Loberg ranks third on the team for points (8.3) and rebounds (4.2) per game, while leading the Gophers with 15 blocked shots (1.0 bpg).
Junior guard Brianna Mastey averages 5.4 points and 3.7 rebounds per outing, while senior forward Kristen Dockery is averaging 5.1 points and 4.5 rebounds, but neither played during the loss at Michigan State. Junior forward Jackie Voigt leads the Gophers with an average of 6.1 rpg and has grabbed at least eight boards seven times this year, while also adding 6.2 ppg.
Senior point guard China Antoine ranks fourth on the team with an average of 6.7 ppg, while leading the Gophers with 87 assists (4.4 apg), 47 steals (2.4 spg), and a .365 (27-of-74) three-point percentage. Antoine had a career-high 21 points and six steals in the overtime loss to Indiana on Jan. 2, but has scored a combined total of just 12 points in her past five games.
Scouting Northwestern
The Wildcats are in their third season under the direction of head coach Joe McKeown.
Northwestern stormed out of the gates by winning its first six games this season, and stood at 11-2 after the non-conference portion of its schedule, but are 3-4 in the Big Ten.
The Wildcats' wins have come against Dartmouth (66-37), LSU (71-62), Western Kentucky (61-54), Chicago State (75-73), Saint Mary's (78-57), BYU (65-64), Missouri (79-68), Central Michigan (92-84), Northern Illinois (68-59), Northern Arizona (88-70), Toledo (70-60), Purdue (76-64), Illinois (69-66 ot), and Ohio State (64-53), with losses to Georgia Tech (67-63), DePaul (76-72), Indiana (71-69), Penn State (80-68), Purdue (54-43), and Michigan (76-67).
Minnesota and Northwestern have five opponents in common, with the Wildcats going 3-2 in those games and the Gophers going 2-3. The lone difference is NU's win versus Illinois.
Amy Jaeschke leads NU in scoring (22.9 ppg), rebounding (9.4 rpg), and blocked shots (3.9 bpg) and has made 180-of-353 (.510) field goals, while three other players are averaging double figures for the Wildcats. Brittany Orban ranks second on the team in scoring (11.8 ppg) and rebounding (6.6 rpg), while Kendall Hackney is third in both categories at 11.5 ppg and 5.2 rpg and Beth Marshall adds 11.1 ppg and leads NU with 79 assists (4.2 apg).
The Coaches
Minnesota is led by ninth-year head coach Pam Borton (Defiance, 1987), who has a record of 173-102 (.629) at the U of M, and owns a career mark of 242-148 (.621) in her 13th season as a head coach.
Northwestern's Joe McKeown (Kent State, 1979) is in his third year as head coach of the Wildcats with a record of 39-44 (.470) at NU and a mark of 548-218 (.715) in his 25th season overall.
Gopher Players vs. Northwestern
Taking a look at Minnesota players' career numbers versus Northwestern, junior guard Kiara Buford averages 9.2 ppg and has scored in double figures in her past two games versus the Wildcats, while senior point guard China Antoine had seven points, six rebounds, five steals and four assists in her one career game against NU. Junior forward Jackie Voigt averages 5.8 ppg and 4.3 rpg, but Buford and Voigt are the only players on the team who have played in more than three games against Northwestern (each with four). Sophomore forward Katie Loberg had six points and six boards in last year's loss at Northwestern.
Home Not So Sweet?
Junior guard Kiara Buford has struggled to shoot the ball in the Gophers' three Big Ten games at Williams Arena so far this season. In those three contests -- losses to Indiana, Iowa, and Wisconsin -- Buford has combined to make just 6-of-38 (.158) field goals and average just 7.3 ppg.
Meanwhile, in Minnesota's four Big Ten road games, Buford has combined to make 28-of-56 (.500) field goals and average 18.0 ppg.
Last year, Buford made 46-of-121 (.380) field goals in Big Ten home games, and 34-of-88 (.386) on the road. For the season, Buford has made 104-of-240 (.433) field goal attempts and averages 15.2 ppg.
On The Horizon
Minnesota remains home to play host to the Michigan Wolverines (12-7 overall, 5-2 Big Ten) on Sunday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. (CST) in Williams Arena.
There will be all sorts of activities taking place around The Barn this weekend, as it's Alumni Weekend, as well as the Gophers' celebration of Minnesota Girls and Women in Sports Day. It will also be Community Day for Amber Dvorak (Hinckley), Katie Loberg (Princeton), and Brianna and Nicole Mastey (Becker).
From 11:00 a.m. to Noon on Sunday, the Molly Tadich Alumni Game will take place at Williams Arena. It will also include free throw contests (both under age 50 and over age 50) for those taking part in the Alumni Game, a three-point shooting contest, and a lightning-round game. The Molly Tadich Alumni Game is open to the public, but attendees are asked to have a ticket to the Minnesota-Michigan game that afternoon.
In addition, the very popular Fargo-Moorhead Acro Team will perform at halftime of the Minnesota-Michigan game.
For ticket information, call the Golden Gopher Ticket Office at 612.624.8080 or 1.800.U.GOPHER, or visit www.mygophersports.com.
