Michigan State "boards" 2nd half run to beat Gophers

BY MIKE PEDEN

If fans considered Minnesota's last season an aberration, they may remember the 2010-11 season as a contagion. The Gophers lost 65-51 to #8/10 Michigan State Sunday at Williams Arena, which will surely add concerns about the direction of the program.

And that's not taking the Big Ten Tournament into account, where Minnesota (12-17, 4-12) has not advanced past the first round since 2007. The Gophers would have to win the tournament championship to qualify for a post-season spot, which would be an automatic NCAA tournament bid.

With Minnesota dropping its fifth conference game after building a double-digit lead (12 in Sunday's loss), a reversal of that trend may be difficult.

"We played decent basketball for 30 minutes tonight," said Minnesota head coach Pam Borton. "Our passing was much to be desired. Our turnovers really fueled them offensively."

Michigan State (25-4, 13-3) took control in the final 13:24, limiting Minnesota to two field goals, forcing 22 turnovers for the game and ending the game with a 32-6 run.

Minnesota did play with life in the first half, outrebounding Michigan State 24-11, but Michigan State siphoned the hometown's energy with a 22-9 showing in rebounds for the second. Not even Katie Loberg's 19 points and seven rebounds were enough to stop the Big Ten front-runners.

Sparking the Big Ten regular season champions were Kalisha Keane and Lykendra Johnson, who scored 19 and 18 points respectively.

"(Minnesota) can put a team out there that's physically imposing," said Michigan State head coach Suzy Merchant. "We kept Lykendra out there and (moved) Porsche Poole to point guard because we just weren't getting enough offense. Porsche's performance really turned the tide for us."

Poole scored 10 points in 18 minutes for Michigan State.

Although the Spartans had locked up the regular season title last week, Merchant said the season-ending victory would keep their tournament resumé in solid shape when it comes to NCAA tournament seeding. No matter what happens in the Big Ten Tournament, Michigan State will earn a post-season berth.

"We needed to do it without Penn State beating Purdue for the outright championship. You don't want to give committees any opportunity to think you're not on track," she said.

Should Minnesota win its first round game against Northwestern on Thursday in Indianapolis, they would face Michigan State on Friday, who owns a first-round bye and the top seed in the conference tournament.

Borton believes her Gophers have the capability to threaten in the "last chance" tournament as the chemistry has improved, even if their record has little to show the bonding.

"They actually want to be around each other. I know this team knows they can play with anybody," she said.

In previous years, such statements from lower-tier teams would sound far-fetched. However, the Big Ten Conference has not seen any turnover in coaching for the last four years; head coaches understand how to approach each of their opponents. Since no one has to prepare for any new system, the chance of a lower team surprising a strong squad is higher than before.

"That gap has completely changed. The bottom and middle tier have come together," Merchant said.

Game 8: Humboldt vs. Highland Park

TSB Television took a trip to our other backyard in St. Paul to present a battle for 2nd place in the St. Paul City Conference. Humboldt visited Highland Park, seeking an answer for a 77-73 loss at Humboldt's home court, despite a 30-point showing from Angelina Hicks. Highland Park center Kionda Nicks has had her way in the paint against the small Humboldt roster and looked to continue her inside dominance.

Watch highlights, then tune in to GrandStadium.tv to watch the game in its entirety, including interviews with Humboldt's Angelina Hicks and Highland Park's Kionda Nicks.

Purdue's defense leaves Minnesota "boiling"

BY MIKE PEDEN

Following Sunday's loss to Ohio State, Minnesota head coach Pam Borton said her team figured out the ingredients to win games.

After Thursday night's 60-50 loss to Purdue at Williams Arena, the Minnesota coaching staff and fan base will be looking to make a few adjustments to their recipe.

Purdue (18-9, 8-6) was fueled by junior Brittany Rayburn's 27 points, with 17 coming in the second half. Rayburn kept pace with her outstanding free throw shooting, making 12 of 14. The Boilermakers finished the game with an 11-2 run and scored the game's final eight points.

While Purdue made just 35 percent of their field goals, their defensive presence was more than enough. Purdue blocked 10 Minnesota (11-15, 3-10) shots, limiting their opponent to 28 percent from the floor. To boot, the Gophers did not make a field goal in the final 8:35.

"They were bodying us up, and I think that bothered us," Borton said.

"It felt like they were crashing five at a time," said junior guard Jackie Voigt. "We miss one rebound and it was a scramble."

Junior forward Brianna Mastey tied her career high in the first half with 13 points, her first game in double-figures since January 2nd. Mastey set her new career best with 10:28 in the second half on a right-side runner and finished with 17 points.

Mastey's performance may be overshadowed by the continuing struggles of junior guard Kiara Buford. She scored eight points with half of them coming from the free throw line. On the floor, Buford made only two of 16 shots.

"Kiara's a great player when she's aggressive," Borton said. "She was a little timid tonight, especially defensively."

While a timid nature can not explain Buford's or the team's struggles as a whole throughout the last two seasons, Borton noted how opponents have defeated the Gophers recently by attacking the lane late in games while the Gophers often respond with contested jump shots.

"We didn't finish a lot of things tonight," she said.

Game 7: Eden Prairie vs. Minneapolis South

This game wasn't on our schedule when we began the 2010-11 season, but we were fortunate to bring Eden Prairie and Minneapolis South's battle to you, and it lived up to the hype! TSB Television will return to Minneapolis South on February 26th to televise the annual Twin Cities Championship, and South will host by virtue of clinching the Minneapolis City Conference title, their 6th in the last 7 years. While you wait for our next game, Humboldt vs. Highland Park, check out highlights and visit GrandStadium.tv to watch the game in its entirety.

Ohio State "bucks" doubters while beating Gophers

BY MIKE PEDEN

Ohio State can almost always count on momentum when Minnesota is up on their schedule, they led the all-time series 49-10 heading in to Sunday's game at Williams Arena.

After a grueling duel, the Buckeyes chalked up win number 50 with an 83-76 victory, continuing their psychological stronghold over the Gophers.

"A lot of people were saying we are heartless when we're on the road," said Ohio State guard Tayler Hill. "We got up, we lost the lead, and then we came back."

Hill did not hesitate to respond to critics as Ohio State (15-9, 6-6) evened their conference record.

"It makes me want to kill every team we play. Any team, any player," she said.

"We're finding about our character right now. That is impacting us in a very positive way," said Ohio State head coach Jim Foster.

Senior center Jantel Lavender played her usual dominating game inside and finished with a game-high 29 points, adding nine rebounds. She became Ohio State's all-time leading scorer with a transition lay-up at the 16:28 mark in the second half, besting Katie Smith's record of 2,578 points.

To boot, Lavender broke the NCAA record for most consecutive games in double-figures, marking her 126th.

"It's a milestone in my career I won't ever forget. The reason I can score is because of my teammates and my coaches having in faith in me to be a go-to player," she said.

Although Lavender will not likely surpass Connecticut's Maya Moore for the all-time NCAA scoring record, she will present a challenge for any future Buckeye to break the school record with a few games left to pad her lead. Foster believes Lavender has not made her last collegiate impression.

"Someone that's scored double-figures every time she's walked on the court, when most defenses are working on stopping you, that speaks volumes," he said.

For most of the game, both teams essentially canceled each other out, with Minnesota (11-14, 3-9) out-rebounding Ohio State 40-32 while Ohio State forced 16 turnovers to Minnesota's seven.

While early nerves kept the Gophers from leading in the first half, they tied seven times with the Buckeyes, including the halftime break with the score 36-36.

Minnesota would tie two more times until a Jackie Voigt three-pointer gave the home team their first lead at 43-42 early in the second half, and that set the stage for a back-and-forth fight throughout the second.

Ohio State could not relax until the final minute, but the key moment was junior guard Samantha Prahalis draining a three-pointer to break a 71-71 tie with 2:18 left, bothering a young Minnesota team just enough to seal a win.

"In the last three minutes of the game, we did not have an answer for Tayler Hill penetrating to the basket," said Minnesota head coach Pam Borton.

Hill, the all-time leading high school scorer in Minnesota history, flashed a few moves she was known for while playing at Minneapolis South. Hill scored 19 points for the game and sank eight free throws in the final 3:07.

"We're one of the only teams on a daily basis that works on free throws," she said. "It was just like practice."

The stamina Hill developed playing almost every minute at South also proved useful, as she played all 40 minutes against Minnesota.

Although Hill can log large blocks of time, the adversity facing Ohio State this year is an obstacle she never faced at South, even as her high school rival, Minnesota guard Kiara Buford, won two state championships against Hill's old South team.

"In high school, I wasn't challenged every day. The competition wasn't there," she said. "In practice, there's drills we do called 'and two.' No breaks. Time and time up and down the court."

Buford led Minnesota in scoring with 23 points and made her last 10 free throws after missing her first four.

"I promised myself after that fourth one that I wasn't going to miss any more," she said.

Team chemistry is also no longer missing for the Gophers, even though expectations may not be high when the Big Ten tournament begins. That did not make Borton any less proud for her team's fight against the Buckeyes.

"We have figured out the ingredients to win basketball games," she said.

Game 6: North St. Paul vs. Richfield

TSB Television was on hand for a thrilling game at Richfield High School in a Classic Suburban Conference match between the hometown Spartans and North St. Paul Polars. North St. Paul was 1 game behind Hill-Murray for the conference lead and used their stifling defense to upset Richfield in overtime in the first meeting of the series at North St. Paul. Jessica January and her Spartans sought to outlast the Polar defense and prevent a series sweep.

Watch the highlights here, then visit GrandStadium.tv to watch the game in its entirety!

Game 5: Highland Park vs. Como Park

We just finished a thrilling game between North Saint Paul and Richfield, but while you wait, check out our first boys game of the season as we feature Highland Park and Como Park dueling it out in a St. Paul City Conference game. To watch the game in full, visit GrandStadium.tv and enjoy a fast-paced game!