University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
North Dakota State
Minnesota Claims Subway Classic Title with Victory vs. NDSU
11/20/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 20, 2011
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Paced by a 21-0 run in the first half, the University of Minnesota women's basketball team claimed the Subway Classic title in dominating fashion Sunday evening at Williams Arena with an 80-41 win over North Dakota State.
The Gophers improved to 3-2 on the season with the victory and head coach Pam Borton moved within one win of her 250th all-time as a head coach.
Senior Kiara Buford was named the Subway Classic MVP after posting 22 points, eight steals and six assists during the tournament, while sophomore Sari Noga earned a spot on the all-tournament team by scoring a team-high 28 points to go along with 10 rebounds and two assists in the pair of games.
The 39-point margin of victory against the Bison (1-3) was the largest for Minnesota since Nov. 15, 2009, when the Gophers defeated Lamar, 84-45, at the Barn to open the 2009-10 season.
Borton's squad put together a balanced scoring attack against North Dakota State, with four players scoring in double-figures and two players adding eight points apiece.
Freshman Rachel Banham led all scorers with 14 points on 7-of-15 shooting, while the rookie narrowly missed the first double-double of her career by adding nine rebounds, four assists and two steals. Buford, Noga and Leah Cotton each added 11 points, and Katie Loberg and Micaëlla Riché contributed eight points apiece.
Ten of the team's 13 players scored at least two points in the route, which included 34 points from the Minnesota bench.
The Maroon and Gold put together a nice offensive performance, but it was the team's defense that was most impressive. Minnesota tallied 19 steals, which included a career-high six by Buford, and forced 26 Bison turnovers. The squad also out-rebounded the visiting team, 55-22.
After falling down by as many as four points to open the contest, Minnesota took its first lead, 9-8, on a basket by Banham. The Bison would take back the lead with a basket by Janae Burich, 10-9, before the Gophers lit up the scoreboard with 21 unanswered points to take a 30-10 advantage. During the run, Buford had six points and two steals, while Cotton added five points and a swipe.
The Maroon and Gold defense held North Dakota State to only 16 points in the first half, while also holding the visitors scoreless for nearly a quarter of the contest, as North Dakota went 9:31 without a point. Minnesota would close out the first half with a 23-point lead, 39-16, after having led by as many as 25.
The Gophers took their biggest lead of the contest in the second half, however, leading by as many as 44 points with less than a minute to play.
Minnesota returns to action Nov. 25-26 when it takes part in the St. Mary's Concord Hilton Tournament in Moraga, Calif. The Gophers will face Quinnipiac in the opening contest, and will take on either the host Gaels or Virginia Tech on the second day of the event.
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