University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Travel to St. Mary's for Thanksgiving Tournament
11/23/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 23, 2011
St. Mary's Tournament Game Notes 
The University of Minnesota women's basketball team will head to California over Thanksgiving weekend to participate in the St. Mary's Concord Hilton Tournament at McKeon Pavilion. The Golden Gophers will take on Quinnipiac in their opening-round contest Friday night at 7 p.m. CT, and will face either host St. Mary's or Virginia Tech Saturday night at 7 p.m. CT or 9 p.m. CT.
Schedule
Friday, Nov. 25
Minnesota vs. Quinnipiac - 7 p.m. CT
St. Mary's vs. Virginia Tech - 9 p.m. CT
Saturday, Nov. 26
Virginia Tech vs. Minnesota/Quinnipiac - 7 p.m. CT
St. Mary's vs. Minnesota/Quinnipiac - 9 p.m. CT
Live Coverage
Radio
KBEM - Jazz 88.5 FM
Gophersports.com
Play-by-Play - Corbu Stathes
Analyst - Lynnette Sjoquist
Live Video
Gaels Live (smcgaels.com)
Live Stats
N/A
Records
Minnesota - 3-2 Overall, 0-0 Big Ten
Quinnipiac - 1-2 Overall, 0-0 NEC
St. Mary's - 2-2 Overall, 0-0 WCC
Virginia Tech - 2-2 Overall, 0-0 ACC
Arena
McKeon Pavilion
Series
Minnesota first meeting vs. Quinnipiac
Minnesota leads St. Mary's, 1-0
Minnesota even vs. Virginia Tech, 1-1
The Opening Tip
• The Golden Gophers take part in the St. Mary's Concord Hilton Tournament over Thanksgiving weekend with a 3-2 record on the year following its Subway Classic title win last weekend at home.
• Minnesota opens the tournament Friday night with a 7 p.m. CT match-up with Quinnipiac, who is 1-2 overall.
• The meeting between the Gophers and the Bobcats will be the first between the two programs.
• The tournament will come to a close Saturday night with the Maroon and Gold set to face either host St. Mary's or Virginia Tech.
• If Minnesota plays St. Mary's Saturday, win or lose, the game will be played Saturday at 9 p.m. CT. If Minnesota plays Virginia Tech Saturday, win or lose, the game will be played at 7 p.m. CT.
• The Gophers are 1-0 all-time in the series vs. the Gaels, winning 98-72 on Dec. 1, 2008 in their lone meeting.
• Minnesota and Virginia Tech are even in their all-time series, with the Hokies winning the last meeting, 68-62, on Nov. 30, 2007.
• Head coach Pam Borton is only one win away from her 250th all-time as a head coach.
• Senior Kiara Buford is only 55 points away from overtaking the No. 13 spot on the Minnesota all-time scoring register.
• Buford also looks to extend her streak of double-digit scoring performances to six-straight vs. Quinnipiac Friday night.
Scouting Minnesota
• The Gophers enter the St. Mary's Concord Hilton Tournament in Moraga, Calif., over Thanksgiving weekend with a 3-2 record on the season after winning the Subway Classic title last weekend at Williams Arena.
• Minnesota has posted wins over Arkansas, Binghamton and North Dakota State. • Guard Kiara Buford leads the team in points scored (65), steals (12), blocks (3) and shooting percentage (.412).
• Junior Katie Loberg paces the Golden Gophers with a 7.0 rebounds-per-game average and also has three blocks.
Scouting Quinnipiac (Nov. 25 - 7:00 p.m. CT)
•The Bobcats are 1-2 on the season after picking up their first victory vs. Fairfield Sunday afternoon.
• Sophomore Brittany McQuain, who posted her ninth-career double-double in the win, is averaging a double-double on the season as well with 14.3 points and 10.3 rebounds per game to pace the squad.
• Both junior Felicia Barron and freshman Jasmine Martin are also averaging double-digits in scoring with 13.7 and 12.7 point per game, respectively.
• The Bobcats are a young team with only two seniors and three juniors on their roster.
Scouting St. Mary's
• The Gaels host the St. Mary's Concord Hilton Tournament with an even 2-2 overall record, which includes wins over Montana and Pacific.
• Jasmine Smith and Jackie Nared lead St. Mary's with averages of 13.3 and 12.3 points per game, respectively.
• Carli Rosenthal is averaging a team-best 7.8 rebounds per game, while Danielle Mauldin boasts a 7.3 rebounds per game average.
• The tournament in Moraga marks the first home action for St. Mary's this season.
Scouting Virginia Tech
•Following a loss to William and Mary Monday night, the Hokies travel to California with a 2-2 record on the year.
• Virginia Tech also posted wins vs. Old Dominion to open the season and George Washington, while also falling to Charlotte at home in overtime.
• The Hokies have three players averaging double-figures in scoring, paced by Monet Tellier's 14.7 points per game.
• Aerial Wilson has a 13.7 points-per-game average, while Alyssa Fenyn is averaging 12.3 points and a team-best 7.3 rebounds per game.
• In the team's loss to the Tribe, Tellier posted a career-high 31 points on 13 of 22 shooting.
Double-Digits
• With five-straight double-digit scoring performances in 2011-12, senior Kiara Buford is tied for third among Big Ten players.
• However, the guard has the longest streak in the conference in games played this season only.
• Iowa's Jaime Printy leads the league with a 13-game double-figure scoring streak, finishing the 2010-11 season with nine-straight games with 10 or more points.
Robbery in Progress
• The Golden Gophers currently rank first in the Big Ten in steals with an average of 11.8 per game.
• Northwestern, Purdue, Michigan State and Michigan round out the top-five in the category.
• Kiara Buford leads Minnesota and ranks fifth in Big Ten standings with a 2.4 steals-per-game average.
We are the Champions
• Minnesota used a pair of impressive victories vs. Binghamton and North Dakota State last weekend to defend its home turf and claim the Subway Classic title at Williams Arena.
• The Maroon and Gold defeated the Bearcats, 65-40, in the opening game, before posting an, 80-41, win vs. the Bison in the championship game.
• The Gophers outscored their opponents, 145-81, at the Subway Classic.
Subway Classic All-Tournament Team
• Senior Kiara Buford was named the Subway Classic Most Valuable Player after averaging 11.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.0 steals and 3.0 assists per game during the event. It was the second-straight week the guard earned a spot on an all-tournament team.
• Sophomore Sari Noga was also honored with a spot on the Subway Classic All-Tournament Team for the first time in her career. She averaged a team-high 13.5 points per game in the two contests, while posting a career-best 16 points vs. Binghamton.
Defense, Defense
• Minnesota's defense held Binghamton to only 40 points in its opening game of the Subway Classic, its least amount of points allowed since 2009.
• On Nov. 24 of that year, the Gophers held North Dakota State to only 37 points in front of the home crowd.
• Meanwhile, the 39-point margin of victory against the Bison in the championship game 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.
• The Maroon and Gold defense held North Dakota State to only 16 points in the first half of Sunday's game, while also holding the visitors scoreless for nearly a quarter of the contest, as North Dakota State went 9:31 without a point.
Contributing Off the Bench
• The Gophers' bench was critical in the team's pair of wins last weekend, as it outscored its opponent's bench, 54-17.
• Jackie Voigt led the reserves with 14 points, while Leah Cotton, Brianna Mastey and Micaëlla Riché contributed 13, 12 and 11 points, respectively, off the bench.
Approaching a Milestone
• With the Golden Gophers claiming the Subway Classic title last weekend with a pair of wins over Binghamton and North Dakota State, head coach Pam Borton is now only one win away from her 250th all-time as a head coach.
• The pair of victories also moved Borton's record as Minnesota's head coach to 180-110.
Starting on the Right Foot
• Freshman Rachel Banham has proved that she has no problem being one of the Gophers' leaders on the floor.
• The rookie ranks first on the team in assists (17) and second in points (54), blocks (2) and rebounds (29).
• She has led the team in points twice this season and in assists three different times.
• Her 15 points scored vs. Arkansas in the season-opener was a career-high for the guard.
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