University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
Iowa
#21 Iowa Rallies to Defeat Gophers
1/6/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
For the second-straight game, Minnesota allowed a large second-half lead slip away, as the Gophers' 13-point advantage was overcome by 21st-ranked Iowa, which escaped with a 63-57 victory at Williams Arena.
Iowa (13-3, 1-2 Big Ten) jumped out to an early lead, with Kachine Alexander getting the Hawkeyes on the board with a three-pointer from in front of Minnesota's bench at the 17:22 mark, followed by a pair of free throws by Jaime Printy for a 5-0 advantage.
Junior guard Kiara Buford finally got the Gophers on the board with a free throw line jumper with 15:59 left to make it to 5-2, but Iowa answered with a 6-2 run to lead 11-4 with 14:17 remaining.
After the Gophers pulled to within 11-8 on an eight-foot turnaround jumper by senior forward Kristen Dockery followed by a steal and layup from Buford, the Hawkeyes responded by scoring the next five points to extend their lead back to eight points, 16-8.
Iowa's Jaime Printy made a trey with 9:01 left to give the visitors a 19-12 lead, but the Hawkeyes then went ice cold, and the Gophers went on a 15-0 run over the next 6:56 to turn the tables and take a 30-21 lead into the locker room at the break.
In the second half, though, the Gophers saw their 13-point lead shrink down the stretch, as the Hawkeyes used a 16-5 run to go from trailing 48-39 to holding a 55-53 lead with 2:54 left. Four Iowa players scored in double-figures, led by Alexander's game-high 20 points. Kamille Wahlin added 14 points, while Morgan Johnson had a double-double with 12 points and a game-best 10 rebounds.
Minnesota (8-8, 0-3) was led by sophomore guard Leah Cotton's 18 points, while Buford was the other Gopher to reach double figures with 11 points. Buford and freshman forward Kionna Kellogg each had five rebounds to lead the Gophers, but Iowa won the rebounding battle, 41-36, behind Johnson's total and eight apiece from Alexander and Kalli Hansen.
The Gophers next travel to Madison, Wis., to face the Badgers on Sunday afternoon at 3:00 p.m. (CST). The game at Wisconsin will be televised live on Big Ten Network, following Minnesota's men's basketball game at Ohio State.
