FINAL: IU 50 , MINN 59
After never leading the game and playing sluggish throughout the matchup, the Hoosiers made an attempt in the last few minutes to correct all of their earlier mistakes. However, it was not enough to push them past the Gophers. The Hoosiers are now 13-14 on the season, and 6-10 in the Big Ten.
Check the IDS website later for a full wrap of the game from beat writer Drew Allen!
UPDATE: IU 36, MINN 45, 7:13 left in 2nd half
It seems as is the tide has turned for the Hoosiers, as they have pulled back within 9 points. The Hoosiers have held the Gophers scoreless for nearly 5 minutes. This potential comeback has been led by extreme hustle that IU has exhibited in the past 5-6 minutes of play. The Hoosiers currently have 11 steals, while the Gophers have 3.
UPDATE: IU 28, MINN 45, 11:23 left in 2nd half
The Hoosiers looked like they had turned around their earlier woes when they hit a jumper to start the first half. However, they didn't score again until the 12:08 mark, culminating a 7 minute drought. The Gophers have led the Hoosiers since the beginning of the game. The Hoosiers are still led by Jori Davis who has 12 points. The Gophers have two players in double digits, Katie Ohm with 12, and Kiara Buford with 14 points.
The Hoosiers are still shooting under 30% from the floor, and under 20% from downtown. They are 7-7 from the free throw line.
HALFTIME: IU 23 , MINN 29
The Hoosiers started off the day playing sloppy and erratic, and the mess only continued. Held scoreless until junior forward Hope Elam sank a 3 with 15:52 left in the first half. The Hoosier's woes were just beginning, as they turned the ball over 9 times in the first half alone, and shot a measly 23.3% from the floor. Their usually strong 3-point shooting also was weak, as they went 2-14, shooting 18.8% from downtown. And while the Hoosiers have back both freshman forward Sasha Chaplin and Sophomore guard Ashlee Mells, the Hoosiers play does not look replenished. The Gophers are shooting 41.7% from the field, slightly above their average of 37.5, and they have hit 33.3% from downtown. Both teams perfect from the charity stripe.
One high note on an otherwise forgettable first half is the amount of steals the Hoosiers have, as they took the ball away 5 times. Also, the Hoosiers were able to hit a 3 as the clock winded down, maybe giving them some momentum to work with in the second half.
Katie Ohm leads the Gophers with 12 points, and the Hoosiers are led by Jori Davis with 9 points.
PREGAME:
Today the Hoosier's host their annual Pink Zone game, in which they both honor breast cancer survivors and hope to increase general awareness about the disease. The 2009 Pink Zone campaign raised $1.3 million nation wide and over 925,000 fans participated. The Hoosiers will wear pink warm-ups, as well as pink shoes to celebrate the cause. The Hoosiers(13-13, 6-9) will face the Minnesota Gophers (12-14,5-10) as they hope to finish the regular season over .500.
But here is a little quick blurb about the Gopher's offense and defense national rankings
- 64.2 ppg, #156 in scoring offense
- 37.5 FG %, #260
- 75% from the charity stripe, #13
- avg 9.3 steals/games, #93
- turnover margin of 2.54/game, #56
The Gopher's individual accolades:
- Brittany McCoy is ranked #53 in assists/game with 4.8, and is also ranked#137 with 2.2 steals/game.
- China Antoine also is ranked in steals/game with 2.0/game, and averages just under 2 3-pointers/game.
- Ashley Ellis-Milan is ranked #81 with her 81.7% average from the free throw line.
- Kiara Buford also is ranked(#134), as she averages 79.3% from the free throw line. Buford also leads the Gophers in scoring, with 13.5 ppg.
As the season starts to wind down, there are a few Hoosiers who are close to completing both season and career records.
Senior Jamie Braun:
- Career Points: 1,544 - 7th (283 pts out of 6th place)
- Career Rebounds: 659 - 10th (80 rebounds out of 9th place)
- Career Assists: 363 - 6th (3 assists out of 5th place)
- Career Steals: 214 - 4th (16 steals out of 3rd place)
Junior Jori Davis is 45 points away from hitting 1,000 career points. If she is able to do so, she will become the 22nd Hoosiers to reach that milestone.
Check Hoosier Hype for more updates at halftime and after the game!
