Gopher Basketball
Going into the game in Indianapolis, the Gophers had already assured themselves of their 4th straight NCAA tourney appearance. The Boilermakers, who had lost 2 regular season games to the Gophers by 20 and 22 points, needed a win to get off the NCAA tournament bubble.
Unlike the 2 previous games against Minnesota, the Boilermakers appeared willing to play the Gophers’ physical brand of basketball. Purdue worked hard on the offensive end to set perimeter screens to get room to shoot for guards Katie Gearlds and Sharika Webb. Gearlds, who had been stifled by the Gophers and defensive stopper Shannon Bolden in the 2 previous games, responded with 21 points on 8 of 18 from the field. Gearlds had a chance to tie the game as the clock expired with a deep 3 attampt from the corner, but she had to shoot over McCarville, and her shot rimmed in and out.
While the Boilermakers used outside shooting to score most of their points, the had no answer for either Broback or McCarville on the defensive end. The 2 Gopher inside players played catch most of the afternoon, as they took turns assisting each other on points in the lane. The Gophers scored 42 points in the lane. Broback finished with 28 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and no turnovers. McCarville added 22 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists.
The game was tight all the way, as the teams were tied 33-all at halftime, and no team led by more than 6 points. The Gophers scored the 1st 6 points of the 2nd half, but Purdue stemmed the tide, and eventually built a 65-60 lead with only 2:48 remaining. Broback and McCarville then scored 7 straight points to give the Gophers a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
OSU Next. With the win over Purdue, the Gophers (23-6) advance to play No. 1 seed Ohio State at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday in a game televised by Fox Sports Network.
The Buckeyes pulled away in the 2nd half of their Big 10 tourney opener to defeat Wisconsin, 70-46.
Led by Big 10 Player of the Year, 6’5″ sophomore center Jessica Davenport, Ohio State enters the game at 28-3. The Buckeyes, ranked 3rd in 1 national poll and 5th in another, hope to secure a No. 1 seed in the upcoming NCAA tourney by winning the Big 10 tourney in Indianapolis.
The Gophers hope to avenge a 65-53 loss to the Buckeyes, February in Columbus. In that game, the Buckeyes’ Davenport almost single-handedly beat the Gophers with 35 points (on 15 of 19 shooting from the field) and 11 rebounds.
The winner of Sunday’s Gopher-OSU game will play the winner of Sunday’s Michigan State-Penn State game for the Big 10 tourney title on Monday night.
Notes and Observations:
- The Gopher-Ohio State game features a much-anticipated matchup of maybe the conference’s top 2 players in Davenport and McCarville. Although Davenport won the 1st matchup this year, McCarville had 22 points and 8 rebounds. Gopher fans may recall that this was the game in which McCarville picked up a critical 2nd half technical foul which was her 4th personal foul and forced her to spend some valuable time on the bench when the Gophers needed her on the floor.
- Although many eyes will be focused on McCarville, it will be Jamie Broback who will be guarded most of the time by Davenport, as the Buckeyes try to keep Davenport out of foul trouble. Broback will have to be aggressive offensively to see if she can get Davenport in foul trouble.
- Although the matchup against OSU is a daunting task for the Gophers, it should serve as a good tuneup for the NCAA tourney in 2 weeks. Looking back at the 1st meeting with the Buckeyes, it’s a game the Gophers could have won if they would have made some of their open shots and if McCarville hadn’t gotten herself into foul trouble.
- OSU was the only team that had an easy time of it in Friday’s tournament quarterfinals. Besides the Gophers’ 3-point win, Big 10 co-champ Michigan State needed overtime to defeat Illinois, and No. 3 seed Penn State edged Iowa, 68-66.
- Liz Podominick returned to the Gopher lineup after sitting out 6 games with mononucleosis. She played 14 minutes, scoring 3 points, including a crucial late in the game, and she grabbed 5 rebounds.
- All 3 of next year’s Gopher freshman class made their state high school tournaments. Ashley Ellis-Milan and St. Paul Central will play in the Minnesota state tourney. Elgin-Millville’s Katie Ohm will play in the same tourney, but in a bracket for smaller schools. Emily Fox and her nationally ranked ThunderRidge High School will play in the Colorado state tourney.
- Fox, who holds the world’s record for cup-stacking, recently stacked cups on the Ellen Degeneres TV show. She can also ride a 7-foot unicycle. Although reports are that she is a very good basketball player, if that doesn’t work out, maybe the Gopher Athletic Department will be able to use her as halftime entertainment.
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