B1G Game 6: Gophers Host Iowa (1-9-20)

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At least all these blown games will probably mean Gophers stuck in WNIT, unless they keep losing that they don't even qualify for WNIT. It would just be our luck to get eliminated in WNIT by Texas Tech (if even make it that far).
 

Katogopher said:
Late game execution has been so frustrating the last 2 years, too much dribble dribble desperation shots. Sorry I’m a fan Lindsay but that’s on coaching.
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Don’t forget to emphasize the poor inbound execution. That’s been glaring.
 


Bugeaters1 said:
Didn't a lot of fans want Stollings gone?
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Yes, because Stollings wasn't going to make Gophers any better than mediocre to fringe NCAA tournament team, not a contender like the previously irrelevant Oregon schools, Mississippi St, etc. But Gophers can't even be mediocre these past two years.
 



CutDownTheNet said:
Why did she not clank it off the rim on Taiye’s side of the lane for the potential tip in?
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On ,the one hand it did look like she was trying to make it but it is weirdly difficult for players to intentionally miss FTs. Witness Karl Anthony Towns earlier this year against the Thunder.

So tough to see her miss that first one. Just an absolute gut punch.
 

Shades said:
They’re playing two posts without even Bello being there, and it seems to be working out so far. Who da thunk?
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Double posts later with Taiye in second half tho. Not sure why it wasn’t Kehinde tho. Maybe Kehinde was ill? Or maybe she was punished more?
 

Yet another chapter in the book of come from ahead losses. Iowa was 5-8 from three in the fourth quarter and we were 0-4. In the last couple of possessions the Gopher's ran a horn set with Brunson at the top and apparently required to drive into the teeth of the Hawkeye defense.

For most of the game, the Gophers did a good job bringing a guard from the backside to disrupt Czinano. A good enough job on post defense to win. Except, of course, we didn't.
 

I was at the game. The girls out hustled and muscled Iowa for 3 quarters. Tomcova and Sconiers frustrated Iowa's big girl and at crucial times out rebounded her. Now the fourth quarter. Lindsey puts in Bello. Bello is a toothpick. She can move well but is no match for the Iowa big. Then she misses 3 layups. Before the 4th the Gophers were running and gunning. Then Lindsey puts the brakes on, and you could feel the game slip away. This loss is on Lindsey.
 



Just got home from game. Seemed like a boost when Bello entered at first. But then we tried forcing the ball into her, seemed to lose our aggressiveness. And you could feel the game slip away. It could be coaching, maybe it was part "oh good, now Bello is in and we can lean on her?" Let's give them credit for outplaying a very good team for most of the game. But it really hurt to lose this one like this.
 


CutDownTheNet said:
Why did she not clank it off the rim on Taiye’s side of the lane for the potential tip in?
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Didn’t she look to the coach for instructions on that, or didn’t she have enough game awareness to do that? That’s two Hubbard game ending chokes in two successive games. Of course, the coach has got to help her out if these moments are too big for her. It might be too big for the coach too... I don’t know.
 

Felt bad for the ladies. They outplayed and outrebounded Iowa for three quarters, only to end up on the short end of the score. If the ladies can be that competitive in most of their remaining games, they'll have done a great job. But many more losses to come, I think.
 



And seriously...take a time out when the other team starts catching up. That’s what you have them for!!
 

gophersports.com

Postgame Quotes - University of Minnesota Athletics

Postgame Quotes
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Here's some answers to the some of the above questions:

Post Game Presser:
Minnesota Head Coach Lindsay Whalen

On what she saw down the stretch: “(Iowa) made some big shots. I think a couple times we were just a step away from the shooters and they made some big shots. I thought we got some good looks down the stretch. It came down to one stop again for us, and we will break through on one of these. I know it hurts, but I am extremely proud of the team and proud of the way that they battled.”

On if she considered taking a timeout down the stretch: “I thought about it. We had a call in that we felt like we were getting some good looks for [Jasmine Powell] and she was able to create. So, I felt good about what we had going.”

On her message to her team: “For us, we will look at the video and see how we can get some stops and execute on offense down the stretch. Everybody needs to keep their heads up. We are sticking together and it’s time to get ready for Purdue. We will learn from this game and continue to work on getting a stop there at the end. We will continue to work and continue to battle.”

On Destiny Pitts: “We were informed this afternoon that she was entering the transfer portal. I will continue to respect her privacy.”

On if she was surprised at the decision: “It is a situation where we’ve had some discussions. At the end of the day, her deciding to go into the transfer portal…. we wish her the best. Nothing but the best for her and her future.”

On Taiye Bello coming into the game: “I thought Taiye came in and provided us some really good minutes and momentum for the team.”

On getting on the same page with Taiye Bello and the rest of the players: “Everybody in the locker room is going to continue to work together and keep working, and that’s all we can do.”

On installing her own culture as a new coach: “From the teams I was on throughout my career, I feel like I learned a lot from times I have played here and also professionally. I’m trying to put the players on the court in the best position possible and give them the opportunity to go out and play the game that they love and doing it together and playing hard every night.”

On Sara Scalia’s performance: “She was unbelievable. She played 40 minutes and put up 18 (points) and 10 rebounds) as a freshman. You can’t really say enough about the way she played. From start to finish she was tremendous for us all night.”


Minnesota senior Jasmine Brunson
On how she is rallying her teammates: “The main thing I’m trying to do right now is to encourage my teammates and stick together. At the end of the day, it’s a sisterhood so all the adversity we are going to face together, we are going to have to have each other’s backs. I’m very proud of this team, we have a lot of young players on this team right now and we’re fighting right now and sticking together, and that’s what we need to do the rest of the season.”

On her message to the team moving forward: “Everybody just has to do a little bit more. I think that’s the great thing about a team, when somebody is out or goes down, whatever the case is, we have each other’s backs.”

Minnesota redshirt junior Gadiva Hubbard
On what tonight’s game says about the cohesiveness of the players: “I think it says a lot; we have each other’s backs. We try to have a lot of help‐side on the court, that helped a lot. Even off the court we have each other’s backs, we try to stay positive and be there for one another, and I think that is showing on the court as well.”

On if she was trying to miss the second free throw at the end of the game: “No I was not, actually. I didn’t even think about doing that. I just wanted to see if we could get a stop or a steal at the end and it just didn’t work out that way.”

On if she is confident the team can break through: “I’m very confident that we will be able to rally through at the end. It’s just the little things at the end of the game and the next time that happens, or if we are put in that situation, we’ll push through. We’re quick learners.”
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CutDownTheNet said:
Why did she not clank it off the rim on Taiye’s side of the lane for the potential tip in?
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According to Hubbard in the post game she tried to MAKE the second shot and was hoping for a steal. (and a three quarter court heave???)

Whalen on the other hand was a little slow. After the first miss, Lindsay obviously thought Hubbard was going to try and miss the second shot. She got Tomancova to the scorers table; but you can't do that. She needed to be at the scorer's table before the first shot. Anyway, Whalen and Hubbard weren't communicating as to what to do.
 

GopherGangsta said:
This cant be a lot of fun for Whalen right now.....I would not be shocked if she walked away at the end of the year.
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Walk away making that kind of dough after two season's that would be poor financial decision even if that is not what the coach is in it for.
 

gopherdudepart2 said:
Walk away making that kind of dough after two season's that would be poor financial decision even if that is not what the coach is in it for.
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Walk away and quit? I don't believe quit is in her vocabulary. Double down, work harder? I still wonder if she needs help on the offensive scheming (assistant coaching change)?
 

There's no way Whalen will walk away at the end of the year and that doesn't have anything to do with the cash involved. If she is as determined as a coach as she was as a player, she'll get it figured out.
 

Did Whalen have a timeout left at the end of the game, and are you allowed to take a timeout in between free throws?
 
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Waffle said:
Would be shocked not to see another lob into Czinano after this timeout.
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It would have been nice to have been able to afford running a triangle-and-double-Bellos (front and back) on Czinano, but then Kathleen Doyle and friends probably would have just beaten our triangle. What was working well for a while was sprinting a guard onto the back side of her for a tie-up or a steal, but they just had too many well-placed lobs into her, and once beat by the lob, and no guard there to quick tie her up, Taiye was helpless.
 
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no way do we lose last night if we had pitts. no way.
 

Ignatius L Hoops said:
Lindsay had two timeouts remaining.
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Now how about the second part of the question? I tried to look it up myself. I believe the answer is that the team shooting the FT’s can take a timeout in between FT’s. If that’s true, it’s yet another where example where lack of experience or quick thinking from the coach hurts them in these close end of game situations... getting the rebounder to the scorers table too late, not taking the timeout, etc, etc, etc.
 

Your division one coaching experience and knowledge is from where again? are you a coach? You literally go on here and question EVERY single thing Whalen says, or has done as a coach. when the team is going well, you rarely are seen on the board, you only come out when drama or a loss occurs usually. As stated you are more excited about the losses and situation blowing up in Whalen's and her supporter's face so you can have that grand "I told you so" moment. No one forces you to watch or support the team if you have such a problem with the Coach or her style. Criticism is fine, even the great coaches get that, but it means more if the only time you speak on the coach or situation isn't negative. Geno, Reeve and Dawn Staley all voiced support for Whalen when Coyle hired her. yet you continue to act like those voices should of been ignored and you know more than them.

Shades said:
Now how about the second part of the question? I tried to look it up myself. I believe the answer is that the team shooting the FT’s can take a timeout in between FT’s. If that’s true, it’s yet another where example where lack of experience or quick thinking from the coach hurts them in these close end of game situations... getting the rebounder to the scorers table too late, not taking the timeout, etc, etc, etc.
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www.thegazette.com

Win at Minnesota 'mentally and physically' exhausted Iowa women's basketball

IOWA CITY — The Iowa Hawkeyes flew home late Thursday night, too pooped to party. ‘It was pretty quiet,’ Coach …
www.thegazette.com www.thegazette.com

Some quotes from Lisa Bluder:

The Iowa Hawkeyes flew home late Thursday night, too pooped to party.

“It was pretty quiet,” Coach Lisa Bluder said. “Everybody was exhausted. It was one of those games that mentally and physically wears you out.”

Trailing by 15 points in the third quarter (and down 13 with 8 minutes left), the 22nd-ranked Hawkeyes stormed back with a 19-5 rush at the end to edge Minnesota, 76-75, in a Big Ten women’s basketball game at Williams Arena in Minneapolis.

“I don’t know if we wore them out, or if we just started playing better defense,” Bluder said. “We finally started getting some boxouts, and we hit some big 3-pointers at the end.”
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Minnesota had one final chance. Iowa had committed only one foul in the quarter, so the Hawkeyes had three “fouls to give” before the Gophers went into the bonus.

“We wanted to foul them while they were dribbling,” Bluder said. “We weren’t on the same page, and that didn’t happen. Instead, we fouled at the most inopportune time.
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