University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
14-15, 5-11
Maryland
27-2, 15-1
Gophers Drop Regular Season Finale at No. 2 Maryland
2/26/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Minnesota lost its final regular season game 93-60 at No. 2/5 Maryland. The Golden Gophers (14-15, 5-11 Big Ten) will next turn their attention to the Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis later this week. They will face Penn State on Thursday, March 2 at 5:30 p.m. CT.
Kenisha Bell led Minnesota's scoring with 18 points. Freshman Jasmine Brunson turned in her highest-scoring conference game with 10 points, and Bryanna Fernstrom added nine. The Gophers had 10 steals, including three by Bell, and forced the Terrapins into a season-high 21 turnovers overall.
Maryland (27-2, 15-1 Big Ten) took control of the game after the Gophers kept it close early. The Terrapins eventually led 26-12 at the end of the first quarter, and Minnesota's smaller deficits in the next three quarters could not make up for it as they shot 29.7 percent on the game.
Shatori Walker-Kimbrough and Brionna Jones led the way for Maryland on their senior day, scoring 27 and 24 points, respectively. The Terrapins shot 55 percent and outrebounded the Gophers 46-30 as they clinched a share of the Big Ten title.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter: The Gophers scored first and held the high-powered Terrapins without a field goal for the first 2:16 before Walker-Kimbrough scored twice to start a Maryland run. Minnesota had was still within one down 7-6 at the 6:28 mark after a Bryanna Fernstrom layup. The Gophers had five steals and forced seven Maryland turnovers overall in the first quarter, but the Terps shot 10-of-14 from the field including a 4-for-5 clip from 3-point range. Brunson scored Minnesota's last six points of the quarter on free throws and drives to the basket.
Second Quarter: Maryland began the second on a 7-0 run with the first five points coming at the free throw line. Brunson was involved in the Gophers' first seven points of the quarter, assisting on layups for Whitney Tinjum and Taiye Bello before making a 3-pointer. Bell scored six points later in the quarter on a three-point player and a 3-pointer. The Terps shot 12-of-14 from the free throw line in the second as the Gophers were in foul trouble early. Minnesota trailed 51-30 at the half after cutting into Maryland's lead of 27.
Third Quarter: The Gophers started getting to the free throw line, going 7-of-9 in the third, but made only two of their last 11 field goal attempts in the quarter. The Terrapins added six points to their lead to make it 72-45 going into the final period.
Fourth Quarter: The fourth quarter score was the same as the third, and Minnesota scored the bulk of its points at the free throw line, going 9-of-12.
MORE NOTES
*The Gophers' No. 3 scorer, Gadiva Hubbard, missed the game with an injury and is day to day.
*Before Sunday, Brunson last scored in double figures against Seton Hall on Nov. 20, when she tallied 11 points.
*Bell has 11 games with three or more steals. The Gophers have tallied 10 steals as a team in two of their last three games.
