B1G Game 14: Gophers Host Maryland (2-18-18)

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Ignatius L Hoops

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I was going to wait until the completion of tonight’s Maryland/Purdue match-up to start the game thread; but who can wait? This is the biggest game at Williams Arena since Stolling’s first B1G conference game which was also against the Terps and turned out to be one of the best college games of the season.

Anyway, Shades should insert his Maryland breakdown on this thread. Here's hoping B Crazy will add some nifty how it should be done notes.

The Terps can be dominant; but they have played a few toss up games. Penn State, trailing by one entering the fourth, tied the game at 65 at the 1:19 mark before losing. Northwestern tied the game at 60-60 with 3:25 remaining and pulled within 63-61 with :53 seconds left in the contest. Indiana led 70-69 before the Terps scored the last five points. And Michigan State marched into College Park and emerged victorious. (It was the first game that Maryland was minus Blair Watson-so there's that).


B1G Wins: Illinois 100-65, @ Penn State 69-65, Iowa 80-64, @ Wisconsin 71-44, Indiana 74-70, Ohio State 99-69, @ Northwestern 68-65, Rutgers 88-60, @ Nebraska 64-57, Michigan State 76-68, @ Rutgers 72-54

B1G Loss: Michigan State 68-82


Starters (B1G Stats):

6’1” G/F Kaila Charles 17.6 points and 8.4 rebounds/game
6’2” F So. Stephanie Jones 10.8 points
5’8” G Fr Channise Lewis 5.6 points
6’0” G/F Eleanna Christinaki 12.3 points
5’9” G Sr. Kristen Confrey


Bench:

6’0” G Sr. Ieshia Small 6.8 points
6’-0” G So. Sarah Myers
6’3” F Jr Brianna Fraser
6’3” F Jr Aja Ellison
 

Ignatius L Hoops said:
I was going to wait until the completion of tonight’s Maryland/Purdue match-up to start the game thread; but who can wait? This is the biggest game at Williams Arena since Stolling’s first B1G conference game which was also against the Terps and turned out to be one of the best college games of the season.

Anyway, Shades should insert his Maryland breakdown on this thread. Here's hoping B Crazy will add some nifty how it should be done notes.

The Terps can be dominant; but they have played a few toss up games. Penn State, trailing by one entering the fourth, tied the game at 65 at the 1:19 mark before losing. Northwestern tied the game at 60-60 with 3:25 remaining and pulled within 63-61 with :53 seconds left in the contest. Indiana led 70-69 before the Terps scored the last five points. And Michigan State marched into College Park and emerged victorious. (It was the first game that Maryland was minus Blair Watson-so there's that).


B1G Wins: Illinois 100-65, @ Penn State 69-65, Iowa 80-64, @ Wisconsin 71-44, Indiana 74-70, Ohio State 99-69, @ Northwestern 68-65, Rutgers 88-60, @ Nebraska 64-57, Michigan State 76-68, @ Rutgers 72-54

B1G Loss: Michigan State 68-82


Starters (B1G Stats):

6’1” G/F Kaila Charles 17.6 points and 8.4 rebounds/game
6’2” F So. Stephanie Jones 10.8 points
5’8” G Fr Channise Lewis 5.6 points
6’0” G/F Eleanna Christinaki 12.3 points
5’9” G Sr. Kristen Confrey


Bench:

6’0” G Sr. Ieshia Small 6.8 points
6’-0” G So. Sarah Myers
6’3” F Jr Brianna Fraser
6’3” F Jr Aja Ellison
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Seems like it'll be a game of whose-guards-shoot-better? I do think it's a hopeful sign that Maryland does not have a dominant post. Stephanie Jones is not her sister and she can be pushed off the block, so I could see Fernstrom getting more minutes than usual (unless the go-hard-because-the-posts-don't-have-to-play-more-than-two-consecutive-minutes thing is still in play). Also guessing that, as in the Wolverine game, the Gophers are hoping lots of fouls get called, since the Gophers have a more productive bench.
 

I’m hoping the whole team gathers to watch the Purdue game tonight. Is that something they do? I suppose they’ll just break down the film later. I’m going to try to watch it.

It’s nice that the Gophers get an extra days rest on Maryland... not that they really need it. I’m hoping Purdue takes Maryland to double or triple overtime. ;)
 

http://www.gophersports.com/sports/w-baskbl/spec-rel/021618aaa.html

Here are five things you need to know before tipoff:

1. The Golden Gophers have won five straight home games and their last contests against top-25 teams, defeating No. 20 Iowa, 77-72, on Jan. 21 and topping No. 23 Michigan, 93-87, on Wednesday.

2. The Gophers are 51-11 at Williams Arena under head coach Marlene Stollings, including a 12-1 mark this year. The 51-11 record includes six wins over ranked teams, most notably an overtime victory against No. 5 Ohio State in 2016 and wins over No. 20 Iowa on Jan. 21 and No. 23 Michigan on Feb. 14 this year.

3. In the latest AP poll, Minnesota was among teams receiving votes for the third time this year, also
doing so on Nov. 27 and Jan. 29. The team is also ranked 39th in the RPI (as of 2/16). At 20-6, Minnesota has reached the 20-win mark for the 13th time in program history, including three times in four years under Coach Stollings.

4. Junior Kenisha Bell is one of the most versatile players in the country. She leads the Big Ten in both assists per game (6.6) and steals per game (2.7) and is the only player in the Big Ten to rank in the top five of those two categories and points per game (19.7). Nationally, she ranks 36th in scoring average and 12th in assists per game, joining her with Miami (Ohio)’s Lauren Dickerson (16th and 36th, respectively) as the only players in the country to rank in the top 40 of each category. With 994 points scored as a Gopher, Bell is six points away from becoming the 24th player in school history to reach 1,000 points.

5. Minnesota’s scoring average of 85.2 points per game ranks second in the Big Ten and fourth nationally. It’s also on pace to be the highest scoring average in team history, which currently stands at 83.6 set in head coach Marlene Stollings’ second season at Minnesota in 2015-16. Junior Kenisha Bell leads the Gophers with 19.7 points per game, while senior Carlie Wagner is not far behind at 17.7. They rank fifth and ninth, respectively, in the conference in scoring. The Gophers also sit 14th in the country in 3-pointers made (236). 16th in 3-point shooting pct. (38.0) and 17th in 3-pointers made per game (9.1).
 

https://www.testudotimes.com/maryla...744/minnesota-preview-stats-game-kenisha-bell

Testudotimes:

Three things to watch

1. Can Maryland finds its groove again? Something just didn’t look right with the Terps from the opening tip on Thursday. They had some uncharacteristic misses on offense and got picked apart at times on the defensive end.

“We went man, they were beating us off the bounce; we went zone, they were hitting threes,” Frese said about Purdue.

Maryland will have to be better in both areas Sunday, as falling into an early hole could mean a second straight loss.

2. Can Kaila Charles lock down another prolific scorer? Charles has excelled at bottling up the best scorers in the conference, and has another opportunity to do the same to Kenisha Bell. She’ll have to be more cautious than usual, though, as Bell’s willingness to attack the rim could lead to early foul trouble.

3. How does Maryland limit Minnesota’s three-point shooting? Shooting nearly 24 threes a game like the Gophers can be a dangerous strategy. Hit a few early, and it could be a long night for the opponent. Miss a few, and it could be a long night for you. The Terps have to make sure the latter happens in order to get a win.


Prediction

Minnesota wins, 82-78
 


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Shades said:
15-15 midway through the first
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We have to figure out how to defend the elbow. But great 1st quarter considering we had a number of shots go halfway down and pop out. Go Gophers !
 



GringaGopher said:
Friese just told the turtles to run us out of the gym. Really hope we can beat them today.
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Who is running who out of the gym? :clap:

33-22 MIN with Frese calling a timeout with 8:14 left in half
 

Bell should be smarter than letting herself get trapped like that :mad:
 

53-39 MIN at the half

53 points on Maryland's defense :cool:

Stephanie Jones picks up 3 fouls in the half

Embracing defense and still executing on offense has made Gophers look like the best team in the Big Ten.

4 Gophers already in double digit scoring.

14 assists in first half for Gophers.
 

Bello was effective in the few minutes she got due to foul trouble. Looking forward to what she can do in second half. Hopefully get Jones out early.
 



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Jones should've gotten her 4th on the first Edwards attempt.
 

20 point lead on Maryland early in the third. Can't let up at all though
 

11/16 from 3 and spreading the ball around. No doubt MD has a run coming so you are correct we need to keep our foot on the gas .
 

Pitts is down and in extreme pain.

pittshurt.jpg
 


Gophers got to keep playing like they were. This burning clock for a whole quarter strategy won't work. Let's go for a 100!
 



Worst conference loss for Maryland since joining the B1G! Michigan State beat them by 14 earlier this year.
 

overpass said:
Worst conference loss for Maryland since joining the B1G! Michigan State beat them by 14 earlier this year.
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Now we need to close out the teams we are superior to in the BIG. Should get us dancing ...... Go Gophers !
 

Three letters sum this one up: OMG! :clap:

But seriously, cant ask for a bigger statement win at this point of the season. Kenisha Bell is an absolute terror at the point and when you combine that with Carlie, Destiny and Gadiva on the outside, the Gophers are really really hard to guard.

But the biggest thing I've been impressed with is the improvement on the boards and defensively. Stollings has been switching up defenses and the team has proven they can get stops when they need it.

The biggest thing now is no emotional letdowns against either Indiana or Illinois before the conference tourney.
 

I don't think they'll let down for Indiana. The coaching staff should know they're the (second) hottest team in the Big Ten (7 wins in a row).
 

If they win these last two conference games I think they've gotta feel great about their tournament chances.
 


GameDay said:
If they win these last two conference games I think they've gotta feel great about their tournament chances.
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I felt good about that after the Michigan win. Now it's more like thinking about how high a seed.

I think they've shown they're capable of winning the Big Ten tournament.

maryvic612.jpg
 

Wow, that was fun. Another great team win with balanced contributions. I love the fact that all four of our starting guards can get to the hoop. That, to go along with the outside shooting, really makes this team difficult to defend. And, yes, Edwards had a great game also. Was so glad that Pitts returned to the court. A season-ending injury could have placed a damper on a great victory. Maybe it's me, but it seems like this team is really starting to gel. They're playing well together. Lots of assists, good rebounding for a 4-guard team, and much better defense. They seem to be having a lot of fun out there. And kudos to Wagner, Pitts, and Hubbard, who earlier in the year all had games where they just settled for threes and are now driving the lane consistently. Hubbard sometimes gets overshadowed by her fellow guards, but she's been really solid down the stretch. Bello looked like she was going to have a great game today, but then came the early foul trouble. Now a red hot Indiana team comes in and that should be another great matchup. If the Gophers win the next two games, they'll be dancing in March. Let's hope the Gophers don't have a letdown against the Hoosiers. And yes, it was interesting to hear Frese imploring her team to run the Gophers out of the gym in her pre-game speech. In fact, the Gophers ran the Terps out of the gym.
 

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