B1G Game 18: Gophers host Michigan State (3-3-19)

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That's the way all Gopher Senior Nights should go! Plenty of post game emotion from Annalese and Keke.

This game, we needed all the seniors and even got a little help from Staples. There were several quarter/commercial breaks when, I, sitting in the upper deck, could hear Whalen delivering a message to the team. I couldn't understand much more the HEY!!!!; but Whalen continues to get more animated in the huddles and on the sidelines.
 

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GringaGopher said:
Great atmosphere @ the barn today for the seniors. Pitts taking what the D gives her and driving after they over play her on the 3. Free throw % almost perfect !
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Yeah, Kent Youngblood (who filed his report before the Senior Day celebrations were over) noted that we shot 30-32 on free throws. What a great free-throw performance at the Barn.

For those of you with Strib access ...
Gophers women dominate final regular-season game, beat Michigan State 81-63
http://www.startribune.com/gophers-...ason-game-beat-michigan-state-81-63/506631212

And he also filed a special on the graduating seniors ...

Kenisha Bell one of four Gophers seniors playing in final home game Sunday
http://www.startribune.com/kenisha-...s-playing-in-final-home-game-sunday/506611552

(extract)
As is often the case, Kenisha Bell will walk onto the floor at Williams Arena on Sunday afternoon stunned that her college career is almost over.

“I feel like I just started,’’ Bell said. “I honestly cannot believe it.’’

The Gophers women’s basketball team will play Michigan State in its regular-season finale, the last home game for seniors Bell, Annalese Lamke, Irene Garrido Perez and Palma Kaposi.

Whalen said she will remember Kaposi’s endless enthusiasm, Garrido Perez’s consistent approach, Lamke’s work ethic, Bell’s heart.

And while Bell, like the team, has had ups and downs, she is still the most important player on the team. Entering the weekend, she was third in the Big Ten in scoring (18.8), tied for ninth in assists (4.3) and third in steals (2.1). She’s also a semifinalist for the Naismith women’s defensive player of the year award.

(other selected Kent comments from the game article)
The victory gave the Gophers their 14th 20-win season in program history, improved their record to 9-9 in Big Ten Conference play heading into next week’s conference tournament in Indianapolis. The seventh-seeded Gophers play 10th-seeded Indiana (5:30 p.m. Thursday, BTN), with the winner playing second-seeded Iowa on Friday.

Destiny Pitts scored 26 points, her sixth straight game with 20 or more. Senior Kenisha Bell had 23, Jasmine Brunson had 13 and forward Taiye Bello had 10 points and 10 rebounds, her 11th double-double of the season.

The Gophers had seven players score, had four players hit at least one three-pointer. Minnesota, the aggressor much of the night, got the free throw line 32 times, making 30 of them.
 

Only 10 total turnovers in this game! This showed in the resulting final score. Recall that in some prior games we were getting 7 turnovers in the 4th quarter alone. Team playing strong through the 4th quarter. No signs of meltdown whatsoever.

We had 4 shooters hit threes (Pitts, Bell, Perez, Staples). Although our three-point percentage (.385) did not clear .500 as it has in some recent games, what helped was that although both teams hit exactly 5 three-pointers, it took the Spartans 18 shots to do so, and the Gophers 13 shots. That's five extra plays for the Gophers to run some other play.

All in all, a great prep game for the Big Ten Tournament. This team is tournament ready if they play with the poise of this MSU game.

Also, it was really nice to have all four Seniors start today.
 




Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened
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It’s not quite over yet. There should be a couple of WNIT games at the Barn.

I do want them to win the Big Ten Tournament, but I’m viewing all this from a realistic, low-expectation perspective.

Beating Indiana in Indiana should be breezy, and if they can take down Iowa, anything is possible.
 

I love that Whalen decided to start all the seniors. I hope she makes that a tradition. That's something that Clem used to do on the men's side and I always liked it. And besides the chance to start, all the seniors got ample playing time, a good way to close out their careers at home. A few observations on the Gophers. Really like the fact that Pitts has been putting the ball on the floor and going to the hoop on a more regular basis lately. She doesn't have the quickness that Bell and Brunson do, but she's hitting some shots and also drawing some fouls. And when she can go to the line, she's "money in the bank". I forget...is the first team all-conference team 5 or 10 players? If 10, I think Pitts is a candidate after a very slow start to her conference season. Bell is almost surely a first teamer.

Hubbard looking quite mobile during the game today. Gophers must have opted to take the redshirt route, with the season winding down by the time she got healthy. Maybe the silver lining in Hubbard's injury this year is that Brunson has played a lot more than the two previous years and she's improved as the season has gone alone. Bello again had some great blocks and rebounds. If any of the incoming freshman can contribute quickly next year , the Gophers could be good.

Not to take anything away from the Gophers win today, but what's up with MSU. That team has quite a bit of talent and I think they might be the BIG's most underperforming team this year. Don't know if it is a chemistry problem or what it is. They were able to spring a major upset in beating a very good Oregon team at home, but they were terrible on the road in BIG play. I like Suzy Merchant as a coach, but the Spartans year this year is making me scratch my head.
 





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