Gopher Basketball
With star forward Jamie Broback in foul trouble, the 3rd-seeded Gophers stumbled to a 24-17 halftime lead against the Red Flash from Loretto, PA. Despite 1st half problems on offense, the Gophers trademarked defense held St. Francis in check all night, and the Red Flash shot only 25.6% from the field on 11 of 43 shooting.
Broback, who has scored at least 15 points in 6 consecutive games, picked up her 2nd foul with 14:06 remaining in the 1st half. She sat on the bench for about 10 minutes before returning to the floor with 4:36 remaining in the half and the Gophers leading 22-14. The 1st time she touched the ball, she got her 3rd foul on a charge only 13 seconds later and was forced to sit the remainder of the half.
The Gophers used a 12-2 run at the start of the 2nd half to ignite a home crowd of 11,312 and build a comfortable lead. Broback scored 12 points in the 2nd half to finish with a team-high 17. She also had 5 rebounds. Gopher All-American Janel McCarville had a solid all-around game, finishing with 12 points, 15 rebounds, 5 blocks, 3 assists, and 3 steals.
Maybe more important, McCarville and her Gopher teammates held star St. Francis post player Beth Swink to only 7 points on 3 of 17 shooting. Swink had entered the game as the nation’s 3rd leading scorer with over 22 points per game. She had 7 of her shots blocked…5 by McCarville, 1 by Broback, and a monster block by freshman Natasha Williams late in the game to accentuate the victory.
With the game well in-hand, Gopher coach Pam Borton was able to empty her bench near the end of the game. Gopher freshman Leslie Knight, who has seen limited playing time this season, scored 4 quick points on 2 free throws and a layup after a steal. Reserve post Christina Collison looked like her roommate McCarville in draining a 12-foot baseline jumper.
Gopher guard April Calhoun had a solid floor game with 6 points and 6 assists. Liz Podominick played well in a reserve role, filling in for the foul-ridden Broback and spelling McCarville. She contributed 6 points (including a 3-pointer) and 2 steals.
Virginia Next. The Gophers will now host 6th-seeded Virginia Monday about 8:30 p.m. at Williams Arena in a game to determine who gets a trip to next weekend’s 4-team regional in Tempe. Virginia advanced to the Monday game against the Gophers by defeating Old Dominion, 79-57, in the 1st game Saturday night at Williams Arena.
The Gophers beat Virginia, 73-53, in a game early last season in Charlottesville, but that was a long time ago, and the athletic Cavaliers should be a formidable foe for the Gophers. The Cavaliers (22-10) have played a tough Atlantic Coast Conference schedule, with losses to Duke, Maryland, North Carolina, and North Carolina State…all NCAA tourney participants. They gave North Carolina all they could handle in the ACC tourney before losing 78-72 in the semifinals. North Carolina is the No. 1 seed in the Gophers’ Tempe region.
Entering Monday’s game against the Gophers, Virginia is 6-3 in road games. The Cavaliers like to play an up-tempo game and they also like to play zone defense. The Gophers have previously struggled against extended zone defenses (i.e.–Michigan State), and athletic teams. Virginia is a team which has at times struggled with turnovers. If they’re going to beat the Gophers Monday, they’ll probably have to limit their turnovers, compete with the Gophers on the board, and handle what is expected to be another large Gopher home crowd.
Notes and Observations:
- In taking a quick look at some of Saturday’s attendance figures for opening round games across the country, the games at Williams Arena drew the largest crowds. The night session at Williams drew over 11,000 fans; the afternoon session featuring Michigan State, drew 7410 fans, although many of these fans were no-shows, people who had purchased the entire weekend ticket package and opted not to watch the 1st session at Williams.
Sessions in Dallas drew 4700 and 6400 fans. Sessions in Seattle drew 3000 and 3200 fans. The Dallas sessions were filled with teams within driving distance, with Texas (Austin), Texas-Arlington, Rice (Houston), Texas Tech (Lubbock), and Oral Roberts (Tulsa, OK.).
The NCAA didn’t do the U of M any favors with the teams it placed here. Only Michigan State was easy driving distance. Most of the other teams were located a long way for Minneapolis and/or they didn’t have large fan bases to start with. It would have been nice if Iowa State had been placed here. It’s a short drive from Ames to the Twin Cities. Instead, the 7th-seeded Cyclones were sent to Fresno, CA., where they lost a 1st round game to Utah.
- Going into the tourney, I thought TCU might have a chance to do the Gophers a favor and beat No. 2- seeded Baylor in a 2nd round game. That won’t happen. 7th-seeded TCU was bounced from the tourney by 10th-seeded Oregon in a game featuring great school nicknames–the Ducks versus the Horned Frogs. Now, many Gopher fans will be cheering for the Ducks in their game Monday against Baylor. Although Baylor is expected by most to win Monday’s game, Oregon is the only team to beat Pac 10 power Stanford this year.
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