University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Play Host to Michigan on Alumni Weekend
1/29/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
The Gophers are 9-12 overall and 1-7 in the Big Ten after snapping their seven-game losing streak with a 63-58 victory against Northwestern on Thursday night, while the Wolverines are 13-7 overall and 6-2 in the conference after completing a season sweep of Ohio State by defeating the Buckeyes, 69-66. Minnesota leads the all-time series between the schools, 29-24, including 11-3 under ninth-year head coach Pam Borton.
Minnesota earned its first Big Ten victory behind 19 points and seven rebounds from Katie Loberg, while Kiara Buford added 18 points and four steals, and Kionna Kellogg pulled down a career-high 15 rebounds (eight offensive) to help the Gophers hold a 46-34 edge on the glass. Jackie Voigt recorded her fourth career double-double with 10 points and 10 boards, while China Antoine dished out seven assists and came up with four steals.
Individually, Minnesota has two of the top scorers in the Big Ten, as Buford ranks eighth at 15.4 ppg and Leah Cotton is 13th at 13.9 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.
Antoine is second in the Big Ten for steals per game (2.4), and is third for assists per game (4.5) and fourth for assist-to-turnover ratio (1.6). Voigt is 14th in rebounding (6.2 rpg), while Loberg is 12th for field goal percentage (.481), and Buford is 12th for assists per game (3.2 apg).
Alumni Weekend
Sunday's game versus Michigan is part of Minnesota's Alumni Weekend, and lots of action will be taking place at Williams Arena. The public is invited to attend the Molly Tadich Alumni Game, which goes from 11:00 a.m. to Noon, but attendees are asked to have a ticket for the Gophers' game versus Michigan. The Alumni Game will be followed by various skills competitions among the returning players.
Tomorrow also marks Community Days for Amber Dvorak (Hinckley), Katie Loberg (Princeton), and Brianna and Nicole Mastey (Becker). Then, at halftime of the Gophers' game versus the Wolverines, the always popular Fargo-Moorhead Acro Team will perform. The Gophers will also be recognizing Minnesota's Girls and Women in Sports Day on Sunday, and a nice crowd is expected.
For ticket information, call the Golden Gopher Ticket Office at 612.624.8080 or 1.800.U.GOPHER, or visit www.mygophersports.com.
Scouting Minnesota
The start to the Big Ten season had been frustrating for the Gophers, who had held double-digit leads in the second half of four games, only to wind up on the losing end of each contest. Minnesota also had 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.
Last 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.
But on Thursday night, Minnesota's players were finally able to walk off the court with smiles on their faces, as they were able to hold on to a lead in the late stages versus Northwestern, and earn a 63-58 victory against the Wildcats.
Sophomore forward Katie Loberg led the Gophers by making 9-of-19 field goals for 19 points to go along with seven rebounds, all of which came at the offensive end of the court. Junior guard Kiara Buford added 18 points and four steals, while freshman guard/forward Kionna Kellogg battled Northwestern's duo of 6-foot-5 players to finish with 15 rebounds (eight offensive), eight points, and two blocked shots -- all of which were career-highs for the 6-foot-1 Kellogg.
Buford leads the team with an average of 15.4 ppg, with sophomore guard Leah Cotton second at 13.9 ppg. Buford is averaging 17.4 ppg over her past five games, while Cotton was held to a season-low two points versus Northwestern, but had averaged 17.0 ppg over her prior two contests. Loberg ranks third on the team for points (8.9 ppg) and ties for second in rebounds (4.4 rpg), while leading the Gophers with 15 blocked shots (1.0 bpg).
Junior guard Brianna Mastey averages 5.2 points and 3.6 rebounds per outing, while senior forward Kristen Dockery is averaging 4.8 points and 4.4 rebounds. Junior forward Jackie Voigt leads the Gophers with an average of 6.2 rpg and has grabbed at least eight boards in eight games this season, while also adding 6.3 ppg.
Senior point guard China Antoine ranks fourth on the team with an average of 6.6 ppg, while leading the Gophers with 94 assists (4.5 apg), 51 steals (2.4 spg), and a .355 (27-of-76) 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 16 points in her past six games.
Scouting Michigan
The Wolverines are in their fourth season under the direction of head coach Kevin Borseth.
Michigan has been among the surprise teams in the Big Ten standings this season, as it opened the conference season with a convincing home victory over six-time defending champ Ohio State and then made it a sweep of the Buckeyes with a 69-66 win in Columbus on Thursday night. The Wolverines enter today's game with a mark of 13-7 overall and are tied for first in the Big Ten at 6-2.
The Wolverines' wins have come against Alcorn State (88-43), Indiana State (63-58), Buffalo (69-49), Wake Forest (91-58), Kansas (75-67), New Mexico State (68-54), #24 Boston College (68-55), #12 Ohio State (64-51), #14 Iowa (60-53), Wisconsin (75-59), Northwestern (76-67), Purdue (57-45), and #23 Ohio State (69-66), with losses to #5 Xavier (85-76), Marquette (63-49), #8 Texas A&M (67-49), #19 Iowa State (60-47), Detroit (67-48), Purdue (65-64), and #11 Michigan State (63-56).
Veronica Hicks leads Michigan in scoring (11.7 ppg), rebounding (5.3 rpg), assists (2.9 apg), and is second in steals (1.6 spg), but just one other Wolverines player is averaging double figures. Carmen Reynolds ranks second on the team in scoring (10.9 ppg), while adding 4.5 rpg and making 37-of-90 (.411) three-point attempts. Rachel Sheffer is third in scoring at 9.4 ppg, coming off a 23-point effort at OSU, and Michigan's bench is deep, with five other players averaging at least 6.3 ppg.
The Coaches
The University of Minnesota is led by ninth-year head coach Pam Borton (Defiance, 1987), who has a record of 174-102 (.630) at the U of M, and owns a career mark of 243-148 (.621) in her 13th season as a head coach.
Michigan's Kevin Borseth (Lake Superior State, 1976) is in his fourth year as head coach of the Wolverines, with a record of 63-55 (.534) at Michigan and 569-245 (.699) in his 29th season overall.
Gopher Players vs. Michigan
Taking a look at Minnesota players' career numbers versus Michigan, junior guard Kiara Buford averages 6.8 ppg and is the lone Minnesota player to have scored in double figures against the Wolverines. Buford made 3-of-8 treys and scored 11 points during Minnesota's 65-54 loss to Michigan at Williams Arena on Feb. 25, 2010. Junior forward Jackie Voigt averages 3.5 ppg and 4.0 rpg, but Buford and Voigt are the only players on the team who have played in more than three games against Michigan (each with four).
Home Not So Sweet?
Junior guard Kiara Buford has struggled to shoot the ball in three of the Gophers' four Big Ten games at Williams Arena so far this season. In losses to Indiana, Iowa, and Wisconsin, Buford combined to make just 6-of-38 (.158) field goals and average just 7.3 ppg. But she then made 5-of-11 field goals to finish with 18 points in Thursday's 63-58 win versus Northwestern.
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 109-of-251 (.434) field goal attempts and averages 15.3 ppg.
Raise the Roof
Sophomore guard Leah Cotton and sophomore forward Katie Loberg have each significantly raised their scoring averages from their freshman campaigns in 2009-10.
Cotton has registered four of the six highest scoring totals for the Gophers this season, with a career-high 26 points versus Southern on Dec. 9, 25 points in the 71-67 win versus North Carolina State on Nov. 27, 24 points versus Wisconsin on Jan. 20, and 23 points in the loss to Green Bay on Nov. 14. Last season, Cotton played in 27 games and scored 93 total points for an average of 3.4 ppg. This season, she's scored 291 points in 21 games for an average of 13.9 ppg, an increase of +10.5 ppg.
Loberg played in 25 games as a freshman, averaging 2.0 ppg. This season, she missed five games due to injuries, but she's played in 16 games for the Gophers and has increased her scoring average from last season by 6.9 ppg to its current figure of 8.9 ppg.
A Win Would...
Make Minnesota 10-12 overall and give the Gophers their second-straight Big Ten victory ... Make the Gophers 9-5 in Williams Arena this season ... Make the Minnesota-Michigan series 30-24 in favor of the Gophers, and improve Pam Borton's record against Michigan to 12-3 ... Make Minnesota 186-301 in regular season Big Ten games since the start of the 1982-83 season ... Make Minnesota 277-180 all-time in Williams Arena, including 105-30 in the Pam Borton era... Improve Pam Borton's record to 175-102 while at Minnesota and 244-148 all-time ... Make Minnesota's record 540-560 since the 1971-72 season.
A Loss Would...
Make Minnesota 9-13 overall and 1-8 in the Big Ten ... Make the Gophers 8-6 in Williams Arena this season ... Make the Minnesota-Michigan series 29-25 in favor of the Gophers, and drop Pam Borton's record against Michigan to 11-4 ... Make Minnesota 185-302 in regular season Big Ten games since the start of the 1982-83 season ... Make Minnesota 276-181 all-time in Williams Arena, including 104-31 in the Pam Borton era... Drop Pam Borton's record to 174-103 while at Minnesota and 243-149 all-time ... Make Minnesota's record 539-561 since the 1971-72 season.
Up Next
Minnesota returns to the road, traveling to Bloomington, Ind., for a Thursday evening game at Indiana. The game will tip off at 6:00 p.m. (CST), as the Gophers attempt to split the season series. The Hoosiers rallied from a 10-point deficit with 6:00 left in regulation on Jan. 2 at Williams Arena to escape with an 80-79 overtime victory.
