Gopher Basketball
The Gophers led 21-15 in the 1st half before Ohio State went on a 13-2 run to take a 28-23 halftime lead. The Gophers got good shots throughout the game, but they missed a lot of layups. Jamie Broback finished 3 for 12 from the field, Lauren Lacey was 1 for 7, and Shannon Schonrock was 1 for 6. The Gophers’ Janel McCarville had 22 points and 8 rebounds, but her most critical statistic was her fouls. She received 2 fouls on the same play with 11:56 left in the game. One of those fouls was a technical foul (also counted as a personal foul) for voicing her displeasure for the 1st foul called as she tried to reach around Davenport to knock loose a pass.
The Gophers had no answer for the sophomore Davenport, who finished with 35 points and 15 of 19 from the field, and 11 rebounds. Davenport, the National Player of the Month for January, has been making her case for the conference’s best post player, an accolade previously conceded to McCarville. Davenport has exploded offensively in recent weeks with 3 games of more than 30 points.
The Gophers did a good job of containing Buckeye guard Caity Matter, who has previously had some big games against Minnesota. Matter was only 1 of 8 from the field Thursday and finished with 8 points.
Gopher guard April Calhoun played one of her best offensive games of the year, finishing with 12 points on 5 of 8 from the field.
With the loss, the Gophers may have sealed their fate for a 4th place conference finish. With only 3 games remaining, the Gophers are 2-1/2 games back of 2nd place occupants Michigan State and Penn State. The Gophers have a 2-game lead over 5th place Purdue, who will probably be the Gophers opponent in the opening round of the Big 10 tourney in Indianapolis on March 4. Ohio State remains in 1st place and hosts Michigan State Sunday in a game that may decide the Big 10 regular season champ.
Wisconsin Next for Gophers. The Gophers host a young, but formidable Badger team on Senior Day, 1:30 p.m. Sunday at Williams Arena in a game televised by Fox Sports Network. Janel McCarville will be honored as the Gophers lone senior. Next year’s Senior Day will be a lot more crowded at Williams, with possibly 6 seniors to be honored.
The Gophers and the Badgers played January 6 in Madison, with the Gophers winning, 74-49. The Badgers (10-13,4-9) feature 1 of the conference’s best freshmen in Jolene Anderson, who was held under 10 points for only the 2nd time this season in a Thursday loss to Penn State.
Notes and Observations:
- You can tell the Gophers were missing layups against Ohio State by looking at Janel McCarville’s assist numbers. One of the best passing posts in the country had no assists against the Buckeyes…and she wasn’t being selfish. Broback and Lacey struggled to make some point-blank shots.
- A large crowd is expected at Williams Arena on Sunday. Over 10,000 tickets have been sold, indicating a crowd upwards of 12,000 or 13,000. The Big 10 scheduling gods were not kind to the Gophers this year, with no home games against Big 10 powers Ohio State and Penn State. In the perfect world, if there were one, the Gophers would have all Sunday games, but never play when the Vikings are playing. The crowds however, have been good even when the Vikings have been playing. The Sunday games are always popular with fans from outside the Twin Cities and also with families with kids.
- The Gophers have a good chance to win their 3 remaining conference games against Wisconsin, and then Indiana and Northwestern on the road. Wins in these 3 games and at least 1 win in the Big 10 tourney should get them a No. 4 seed in the upcoming NCAA tourney. The Gophers would then again be in position to host their 1st 2 NCAA tourney games and advance to the Sweet Sixteen. The Gophers would probably have to win the Big 10 tourney, or at least get to the finals, to gain a No. 3 seed. As we all know, the NCAA tourney seedings aren’t all that important, as the Gophers were a No. 6 seed last year and advanced to the Final Four.
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