2009 AP Minnesota AllState girls basketball ballot

Although fans cannot vote, we would like to here from you on this list. Feel free to list your votes as a comment to this post.

Mar 17 2009 2:43PM
KXNewsTeam

AP-BKOAll-State Girls Basketball,3275 2009 AP Minnesota All-State girls basketball ballot Sports editors, prep writers, broadcasters: Here is the ballot for the 2009 Associated Press All-State high school girls basketball team. Simply list your top 10 players, regardless of position on the court, with a 10 next to your top pick, followed by a 9, and so on. Also, don't forget to choose a player of the year. She should be the first player on your list, who gets the 10.

Write-in candidates are welcome. Please be sure to include the player's full name, school, position and year in school and CLEARLY INDICATE this is a write-in selection. If you missed the nomination deadline and have candidates for honorable mention to share, please indicate that as well.

Please return ballots to AP Minneapolis by e-mail at dcampbell(at)ap.org or by fax at (612) 342-5299. Votes must be cast by noon on Sunday, March 22. Call 800-552-7250 with questions.

A story about this year's team, focusing on the player of the year, will move along with a list (first team, second team and honorable mention) and, if possible, a photo of the player of the year beginning for Tuesday morning editions of March 24.

Thanks for your participation, The AP, Minneapolis Holli Aggen, SR, Worthington: Averages 18.6 points and 7 rebounds per game entering section final for 24-2 Worthington team that advanced to another state tournament. Shoots nearly 40 percent from 3-point range (49-127, 38.5 percent) and 77 percent (122-158) from the free-throw line entering section final. Also has 65 steals and 69 assists. A Ms. Basketball nominee.

Ashley Alleven, SR, Fairmont: The forward and four-time all-conference and three-time Sentinel All-Area player of the year averaged 15.1 points, 9.1 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game to guide the Cardinals to an undefeated conference championship and 21-1 regular-season record. The 6-foot Alleven finishes as Fairmont's all-time leading scorer (1,307) and rebounder (981).

Rachel Banham, SO, Lakeville North: Guard.

Amanda Barton, JR, Waterville-Elysian-Morristown: Though just a junior, the 6-2 center has already set new program records with 1,057 points and 820 rebounds. She also has 123 career blocked shots. This season, she's averaging 14.8 points and 11.2 rebounds.

Jessica Benson, SR, Grand Meadow: Forward scored over 2,000 points in her career. Leads GM in every all-time major category.

Gabby Boever, JR, Worthington: Guard averaged 13.4 points and 4.6 rebounds per game entering section final for the Trojans, who advanced to state tournament. Also has 120 steals (4.8 per game) and 107 assists (4.3 per game) to help run a potent Worthington offense. Recently scored her 1,000th career point.

Emily Bose, SR, Murray County Central: Center averaged 21.0 points per game and has 46 blocks this season.

Annemarie Brown, JR, St. Peter: Guard averaged 16.3 points and 7.3 rebounds. Also had 60 assists and 41 steals in 22 games.

Bailey Bouman, JR, Pipestone Area: Leads Arrows with 17.1 ppg.

Helped lead team to state tournament.

Sarah Brozik, JR, Mankato East: Guard averaged 14.1 points, with a high game of 30. She shot 41 percent from 3-point range.

Second-leading scorer in the Big Nine Conference. All-conference selection.

Amanda Burk, SR, Minnesota Valley Lutheran: Forward averaged 13.1 points, 10.5 rebounds, 2.6 steals and 1.7 blocked shots. She scored her 1,000th point on her last shot of the season. Also had 887 career rebounds. All-Tomahawk Conference selection twice.

Abby Busch, SR, Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop: 5-10 forward scored 2,286 points and grabbed 1,354 rebounds in her career. She was the Tomahawk Conference player of the year as a junior and senior. This season she scored 580 points (21.5 per game) and grabbed 334 rebounds (12.4) per game. Busch will play basketball at Winona State next season.

Jessica Cagle, SR, Grand Rapids: Averaged 11.3 points for Thunderhawks, who made it to state. Has track and field scholarship with Gophers next season.

Brittany Chambers, SR, Jordan: Signed to play at Kansas State; has scored 2,747 career points; Guard has led Jordan into the Class AA tournament. A fabulous all-around athlete who is also a two-time All-Metro selection in volleyball. An explosive scorer who averages 23.8 points per game and set a state tournament record by scoring 47 points the Class 2A semifinals last year. First team all-metro.

Roz Chromy, SR, Esko: Center averaged 16.1 points on 60 percent shooting for team that posted a 23-5 record.

Hannah Dahlman, SO, Braham: Helped lead Bombers girls to state, for first time since 1974. Has more than 1,000 career points and averages 13.5 ppg.

Rebekah Dahlman, 8th, Braham: Just an eighth-grader from Braham's finest basketball family, leading Bombers to state and averaging 19 ppg this season.

Leah Dietel, SR, Jordan: Center has team at state tournament.

Signed with South Dakota State. Third team all-metro.

Nicole Dooher, SR, Robbinsdale Armstrong: Guard. Second team all-metro.

Jessica Dvergsten, JR, Badger/Greenbush-Middle River: Forward.

Amber Dvorak, SR, Hinckley-Finlayson: At 6-foot-7 will become the tallest player ever to play for the Gophers next season. As a junior she averaged 20.2 points and 11.4 rebounds per game. Had only 9 points in section loss this year, though. Still a project.

Julia Dysthe, SR, White Bear Lake: Leads Bears with 15.5 ppg.

Has team at state tournament.

Brianna Edwards, SR, Minneapolis North: Center. Signed with Providence. Has Polars in Class 3A state tournament. Second team all-metro.

Kara Elofson, SR, Hopkins: Guard/forward has signed with Division I Binghamton. Third team all-metro.

Kelsey Evans, SR, Willmar: 5-9 guard scored 1,100 career points and is averaging 15.5 ppg, 7 rpg this season. Strong defensive player. Willmar went 22-4 and lost in section championship.

Kelsey Florian, SR, Roseville: Forward.

Chelsea Fogarty, SR, Belle Plaine: Forward averaged 17.0 points, 13.1 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 4.0 steals and 1.7 blocked shots. Holds school records with 1,784 points and had 1,251 rebounds in her career. Three-time team MVP and all-conference.

Abby Fragodt, JR, Benson: 5-11 forward has the school's career scoring mark of 1,350 points and has just over 1,000 rebounds in her career with one season left. Extremely aggressive. Can score inside or out. Averaged 15.1 ppg, 10 rpg this season.

Chelsea Frydenlund, SO, East Grand Forks: Very quick guard for state tournament team.

Shelby Goble, SR, Bigfork: Bigfork is making its first appearance at the state tournament at 26-2. The Huskies were ranked No. 9 in the final Minnesota Basketball News poll. Leads the team in scoring with an average of 18.8 points per game.

Andrea Gould, SR, Wrenshall: Center averaged 23.1 points and 16.0 rebounds a game while suffering from a painful internal medical disorder that cut her season short at 19 games.

Erica Gress, JR, Apple Valley: Center.

Rachel Hanson, JR, Minnehaha Academy: Guard has team at state tournament. Second team all-metro.

Tayler Hill, SR, Minneapolis South: Guard and the state's all-time leading scorer with more than 3,700 career points. Has Tigers back in state tournament after finishing as runner-up in 2007 and 2008. Averages 31.9 ppg and has 170 steals (5.9 spg) this season. The multitalented guard is unstoppable when she drives to the basket. The only athlete ever to be selected to the All-Metro team five times, dating to eighth grade. Metro Player of the Year and first team selection.

Kayla Hirt, SO, Bemidji: Forward led the Lumberjacks to a 23-3 record. She scored over 30 points per game in nine games this season. Reached her 1,000th career point in her second season at the varsity level. Has given verbal commitment to play for the Gophers after graduation. A complete player, she averaged 25 points and 11 rebounds per game.

Bree Holleman, JR, Hancock: 5-6 guard has 1,700 career points and should break West Central Tribune area 21-school career scoring record next season. Averaged 22.8 ppg, 6 apg this season.

Hannah Hylla, SR, Albany: 6-foot forward. Has scored this year 567 points in 26 games. Averaging 21.8 ppg. Hannah has played varsity for 3 years and started for 2 years. Averaging 81 percent from the free-throw line. Hit 32 of 68 3-pointers, 170 of 329 2-pointers, 202 of 397 free throws (81 percent). Had 241 rebounds (9.3 rpg), 42 blocked shots, 85 steals (3.4 spg), 48 assists (1.9 apg). Scored 1,078 points in 94 varsity games (11.5 ppg), made 276 of 497 free throws (56 percent), 576 rebounds (6.1 rpg), 174 steals (1.9 spg) and 120 assists (1.3 apg). Was a starter on the 2007-08 Class 2A state championship and the only returnee. Was selected to the West Central Conference All-North Division team and is on the Section 6-2A, Sub-Section 19 all-tournament team. A captain. She'll play basketball for the College of St. Benedict.

Marissa Janning, FR, Watertown-Mayer: Guard.

Pam January, SR, Richfield: Guard/forward. Signed with South Dakota. Third team all-metro.

Brynn Joki, SR, Grand Rapids: Averaged 10.7 points and 7.1 rebounds for state-bound Thunderhawks. Will play volleyball at North Dakota State next season.

Emily Kaus, SR, Eastview: Signed with Bemidji State. Has Lightning in state tournament. Leads team with 11.4 rebounds per game.

Alyssa Kerkhoff, SO, New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva: The sophomore went over the 1,000-point barrier this year. A starter since eighth grade, Kerkhoff averaged 22.6 points per game and grabbed 131 steals (4.6) and handed out 70 assists (2.5). NRHEG went 16-0 in the Gopher Conference. The Panthers were 27-1 after winning the Sub-section 2AA East title but lost next game. Kerkhoff was a member of the Owatonna People's Press All-Area team as a ninth-grader and was newspaper's player of the year this year.

Megan King, SR, Caledonia: 5-8 guard, averaging 9.5 ppg. Great leader, distributor and point guard for 28-0 Caledonia, which is making its third consecutive trip to state.

Faith Kruchowski, SR, Red Lake County Central: Guard led team to state tournament.

Gina Lange, SR, Forest Lake: Forward. Third team all-metro.

Megan Lauck, JR, Mounds View: Forward.

Katya Leick, SR, Park of Cottage Grove: Guard/forward. Signed with Nebraska. Second team all-metro.

Hannah Linz, SR, Eden Valley-Watkins: 5-11 guard. The state's third all-time leading scorer with 3,376 points and a starter since eighth grade. More than 1,000 career rebounds, 488 career assists, 494 career steals, 342 career 3-pointers (fourth in state history), 913 career free throws attempted (2nd in state history), 644 career free throws made (3rd in state history). Led Eagles to a 25-3 record in 2008-09, averaging 25.6 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.6 steals, 4.1 assists per game. Made 103 3-pointers. 3-year captain.

All-section. All-Central Minnesota Conference. Selected to play in the coaches' association all-star series. St. Cloud Times area player of the year. Has signed with Division I North Dakota State to play basketball.

Katie Loberg, SR, Princeton: The Gophers recruit has been a force on both ends of the floor with 21.8 points and 12.8 rebounds per game. Handles the ball well in the open court. Tall, polished and athletic, the 6-4 center helped the Tigers advance to the Class 3A, Section 5 final. Runner-up in the Class 2A high jump last year.

First team all-metro.

Megan Lueck, JR, Winona: 5-7 forward, averaging 17.5 ppg. Great 3-point shooter.

Sam Lynn, SR, Adrian: Helped lead Adrian to a 28-1 record this season and a berth in state tournament as the do-it-all point guard. She averaged 15 points per game (420 total), 9 assists (252 total) 6.9 rebounds (193 total) and 4.5 steals (126 total) entering the section final. Recently scored her 2,000th career point, and has 2,020 total points, 940 assists, 752 rebounds and 395 steals, all Adrian program records. Also a Ms. Basketball top-35 finalist.

Sam Mehr, SR, Eastview: Guard. Signed with South Dakota. Has Lightning at state tourney for second straight season. Leading scorer with 13.7 points per game.

Aly Meyer, JR, Caledonia: 5-11 forward, averaging 12.2 ppg for 28-0 Caledonia, which is making its third consecutive trip to state. Great in the post.

MacKinzie Magner, JR, Northern Freeze: Forward for co-op team between Marshall County Central and Tri-County.

Ashlynn Muhl, SO, Minneota: Center averages 17.1 points per game, 215 rebounds.

Scotti Moats, SR, Waconia: Center.

Meghan Molitor, SR, PACT Charter of Anoka: 5-8 guard leads the state with 72 3-pointers made and is second in scoring average with 24.3 points per game. She's scored over 2,000 points in her career.

Lizzi Naumann, SR, Totino-Grace: Center signed with Drake; has led the Eagles back to the state tournament.

Katrina Newman, JR, Barnum: Guard averaged 21.8 points, 8.3 rebounds and 5.0 assists and shot 66.2 percent from the field for top-ranked and undefeated Bombers (27-0).

Megan Nipe, SR, Centennial: Forward. The George Washington recruit has averaged 16.3 points and 8.7 rebounds in leading the No. 2-ranked Cougars back to the state tournament. The school's all-time leading scorer with 1,807 points and 834 career rebounds.

Excellent midrange shooter and rebounder. First team all-metro.

Battled through a knee injury this season. A versatile offensive player, she can score inside and has a nice touch from the perimeter.

Riley Nordgaard, FR, Canby: Guard averaged 20.2 points per game, had 156 rebounds, 56 assists and 93 steals on the season.

Miranda Pearson, JR, Warroad: Through 23 games this season she has scored 425 points for an average of 18.5 ppg and recorded 232 rebounds for an average of 10.1 rpg. Forward.

Kayla Pelletier, SR, Red Lake County Central: Forward. Team made state tournament.

Sarah Peterson, SR, Minnehaha Academy: Forward and top-notch defender on a state-tournament bound team. Also averages 12 points per game.

Katie Pettit, SR, Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted: Team set school record with 27 wins and made it back to state tournament. Leads team with 17.7 ppg.

Mandy Poke, SR, Richfield: Guard.

Cassie Rochel, JR, Lakeville North: Center and the St. Paul Pioneer Press defensive player of the year. The long-armed 6-foot-4 post averaged 16 points, 10.5 rebounds and 5.5 blocks per game. Is being highly recruited. Second team all-metro.

Emily Roelike, SR, Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa: 5-6 guard has over 1,400 career points and averaged 17.0 ppg, 4 spg this season.

Outstanding athlete. Very aggressive.

Abby Rothenbuehler, SR, Mankato West: Center averaged 14.0 points and 11.3 rebounds, as well as 2.5 blocked shots. Shes the career rebounding leader (902) at West, and she ranks third in program history with 1,117 points. She's been an all-city and All-Big Nine Conference selection two seasons.

Tori Rule, SO, DeLaSalle: Guard and captain.

Valerie Sahr, SO, United South Central: Forward averaged a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds per game. She set a program record with 297 rebounds this season. Unanimous selection for All-Gopher Conference.

Crissi Schewe, SR, Sleepy Eye St. Mary's: 5-10 forward. Schewe scored 642 points (23.8 per game) and had 294 rebounds (10.9 per game) this season. She scored 20 points or more in 24 of 27 games this season and scored a school record 45 against Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial. The 642 points in the season is a school record.

Kiley Severson, JR, Hayfield: Center.

Audra Schmidt, SR, Westbrook-Walnut Grove: Center averages 19.6 points per game, has 297 rebounds, and made 81 blocks.

Bridget Schuneman, SR, Centennial: Forward has Cougars at state tournament.

Nicole Smart, SR, Ada-Borup: Averaged 24 points per game, 6 rebounds per game, 3.5 steals per game for state tournament team.

Great all-around player that makes defending Class 1A champs go.

Can score from all over the court and is best defensive player for the Cougars. 2,000-plus career points. Committed to University of North Dakota.

Taylor Stippel, SR, Stillwater: Forward.

Allison Streich, JR, Waseca: She averaged 13.1 points and 10.0 rebounds. Already a two-time All-South Central Conference selection and team MVP. She ranks fourth in program history with 532 rebounds and 10th with 655 points.

Theairra Taylor, SR, St. Paul Central: Forward is considered the second best player in Minnesota this season behind Tayler Hill. She averged 18.6 points, 2.8 assists, 8.0 rebounds and 3.3 steals per game for the two-time Class AAAA champions. Signed to play with Iowa, but recently hurt her knee. Strong with the ball, can create her own shot and plays taller than her 5-11 height. She can dominate on defense as well, thanks to her quick hands and marvelous agility. First team all-metro.

Emily Thesing, SR, Brainerd: Guard, shooting 39.3 percent from field, 70.2 from free throw line, 299 points, 12.5 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 123 assists, 66 steals.

Kate Thompson, SR, Wayzata: Guard/forward. Signed with Michigan.

Third team all-metro.

Jessica Thone, SR, Woodbury: Guard/forward.

Ashley Tingelstad, SR, East Grand Forks: Transfer from Lake Park-Audubon who won 100, 200 and 400-meter dashes at state track meet last year. Unbelievably quick guard who through 22 games this season tallied 398 points for an average of 18.1 ppg. Helped lead Green Wave to state tourney.

Michelle Tobin, SR, Eden Prairie: Leads state tournament team in scoring (13.2 ppg) and rebounding (8 rpg).

Kareena Tulloch, SR, Montgomery-Lonsdale: Two-year letterwinner who averaged 14.5 points, 10 rebounds and 3.5 blocks. All-Minnesota River Conference.

Kylie Vatthauer, SR, Red Lake Falls: Senior.

Tina Vorphal, SR, Austin: Forward.

Amanda Wagner, SR, New Prague: Guard. Has team at state tournament. Captain.

Kate Warmack, JR, East Grand Forks: 6-foot-2 center is very tough presence inside for Green Wave, who made state tourney.

Brittani Wiese, SR, St. Michael-Albertville: Leads Knights with 17.3 points and 4.0 steals per game. Wiese is the school's third-leading scorer and holds the school record for steals. Team at state tournament.

Bri Williams, SO, Hopkins: Guard.

Tempestt Wilson, SR, Elk River: Guard. Signed with Northern Arizona. Third team all-metro.

Whitney Wisecup, SR, Winona Cotter: 5-9 forward, 1,000-point scorer for her career. Averaging 13.0 ppg.

Jamie Wollin, SR, Litchfield: 5-10 guard is the school's career scoring leader with 1,370 points. Averaged 20.0 ppg, 6 rpg, 4 apg this season.

Marisa Yernatich, SR, Duluth East: Forward averaged 22.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.2 steals, 3.3 assists against a Class AAAA schedule; finished five-year varsity career with 2,237 points, second-most in NE Minnesota history.

Taylor Young, JR, Edina: Guard.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) APNP 03-17-09 1431CDT

Minnesota vs Notre Dame

NCAA First Round

Minnesota Golden Gophers (19-11)
vs.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish (22-8)
LOCATION Joyce Center / South Bend , Ind.
DATE / TIME: Sunday, March 22 / approx. 1:30 p.m. CT
TELEVISION: ESPN
Eric Collins (Play-by-play), Stephanie White (Color Analyst)
RADIO / WEBCAST: KBEM 88.5 FM or WCCO 830 AM / Gopher Radio Network / gophersports.com
Corbu Stathes (Play-by-play), Lynnette Sjoquist (Color Analyst)
Minnesota Faces Notre Dame in NCAA First Round
The Minnesota Golden Gophers travel to South Bend , Ind. , on Sunday, March 22 to face the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame in the First Round of the 2009 NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship. Tip-off is scheduled for 30 minutes following the First Round game between Texas A&M and Evansville (12 p.m. ET), or approximately 2:30 p.m. ET (1:30 p.m. CT). The Second Round game is set for Tuesday, March 24 at 7 p.m. ET.
Minnesota Earns the No. 10 Seed
The Golden Gophers were tabbed as the No. 10 seed in the Trenton Region, while Notre Dame is the No. 7 seed. The Trenton Region contains the top-seed overall - Connecticut - as the No. 1 seed. Other No. 1 seeds are Maryland in the Raleigh Region, Oklahoma in the Oklahoma City Region and Duke in the Berkeley Region.
All 63 NCAA Tournament Games Televised
Every game of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament will once again be televised by the ESPN family of networks. The Minnesota/Notre Dame game will be aired on ESPN with Eric Collins and former Purdue All-American Stephanie White calling the action.
Deja Vu Might Be Just What the Doctor Ordered
Sunday’s game with Notre Dame will bring back some nice memories for Golden Gopher fans. Minnesota made its very first NCAA Tournament appearance, ironically as a No. 10 seed, in 1994 and upset No. 7 seed Notre Dame on its home court. Notre Dame will be the second team ( Texas ) that Minnesota has met more than once in NCAA Tournament play.
Gophers Making Eighth NCAA Appearance
Minnesota will be making its eighth NCAA Tournament appearance and the Golden Gophers’ sixth in seven years under head coach Pam Borton. Minnesota posted a streak of five consecutive Tournament appearances (2002-06) and returned to the field in 2008. The Gophers’ first NCAA Tournament appearance was in 1994. Overall, Minnesota is 10-7 in NCAA Tournament play.
Great Time to be a Golden Gopher
The Golden Gopher women’s basketball team isn’t the only Minnesota team in NCAA Championship competition this week. The Gopher men’s basketball team earned the No. 10 seed in the South Region and travels to Greensboro , N.C. to face No. 7 Texas on Thursday. Then the Golden Gopher women’s hockey team, the No. 2 seed, travels to Boston to compete in the 2009 NCAA Women’s Frozen Four this weekend. The Gophers face No. 3 Mercyhurst on Friday in a national semifinal. Then just to keep the folks at home hopping, Minnesota is also hosting one of the men’s basketball NCAA First/Second Round sites at the Metrodome in Minneapolis .
Big Ten Conference Sends Five to NCAAs
The Big Ten Conference will be represented by five teams in the field of the 2009 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament. Three of the five teams - Ohio State , Michigan State and Iowa - will play host to First/Second Round sites. Big Ten champion Ohio State earned a No. 3 seed and plays Sacred Heart. Purdue is a No. 6 seed and will play Charlotte in Chattanooga , Tenn. Iowa collected a No. 8 seed and hosts Georgia Tech. Finally, Michigan State earned a No. 9 seed and will face Middle Tennessee State .
Minnesota History in the NCAA Tournament
Minnesota is making its eighth trip to the Big Dance and its seventh in an eight-year span.
Minnesota was the No. 9 seed in the 2008 NCAA Tournament field and was defeated by No. 8 Texas (72-55) in a First Round contest played in Bridgeport , Ct.
The Gophers suffered their first First Round defeat in the 2006 NCAA Tournament. Minnesota , the No. 8 seed was upset by No. 9 Washington, 73-69, in a game played at Vanderbilt in Nashville , Tenn.
In 2005, Minnesota earned a school-best No. 3 seed and once again played host to the NCAA First and Second Rounds in Williams Arena. The Gophers crushed No. 14 seed St. Francis ( Pa. ), 64-33, allowing the second-lowest scoring total in NCAA Tournament history. Minnesota then downed No. 6 seed Virginia , 73-58, to earn the Gophers’ third consecutive trip to the NCAA Sweet 16. Minnesota traveled to Tempe , Ariz. , where the Gophers’ season was ended by a 64-57 loss to eventual national champion Baylor.
Minnesota advanced to its first Final Four in 2004. The Gophers, assigned the No. 7 seed in the Mideast Region defeated No. 10-seed UCLA and No. 2-seed Kansas State in Minneapolis , then No. 3-seed Boston College and No. 1-seed and top-ranked Duke in Norfolk , Va. , to earn a spot in the Final Four in New Orleans . The Gophers’ dream season was ended by eventual national champion Connecticut .
In 2002-03, Minnesota entered the tournament as the No. 6 seed in the West Region. The Golden Gophers advanced to their first Sweet 16 after wins over Tulane and Stanford but lost to No. 2 seed Texas in the West Regional semifinal.
In Minnesota ’s first two trips to the NCAAs in 1994 and 2002, the Gophers advanced to the second round. In 1994, the Golden Gophers entered the tournament with the No. 10 seed in the East Region. Minnesota upset No. 7-seed Notre Dame in South Bend , Ind. , but lost to No. 2-seed Vanderbilt in Nashville in the second round. Former Gopher great Carol Ann Shudlick, the 1994 Big Ten Player of the Year, was the force behind Minnesota ’s first team to capture an NCAA invitation. In 2002, Minnesota earned the No. 5 seed in the Midwest Region. The Gophers defeated UNLV in the first round, then lost to host North Carolina in the second round.
Tougher Road as a Higher Seed
Minnesota won First Round games in its first five NCAA Tournament appearances, but it hasn’t been an easy road for the Golden Gophers in their last two trips to the NCAAs. The Gophers look to break a two-game streak of being ousted in the opening round. The Gophers were awarded the No. 8 seed in 2006 and lost to Washington and were the No. 9 seed in 2008 and were defeated by Texas .
A Taste of Sweet Victory
Though the Minnesota program has a wining record (10-7) in NCAA action, there isn’t a single Gopher on the 2008-09 roster who has enjoyed the sweet taste of an NCAA Tournament victory.
Schedule Readies Gophers For Postseason Play
Minnesota played a solid schedule and played 12 games against teams included in the 2009 NCAA Tournament field. Minnesota was 4-4 against the four Big Ten teams ( Ohio State , Purdue , Michigan State, Iowa ) that are headed for NCAA play. In non-conference play, the Gophers captured a win over Drexel and lost games to Stanford , South Dakota State and Iowa State .
Back to Sites With Four Teams
The 2009 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament returns to a format with 16 sites hosting First and Second Rounds of action. The Big Ten Conference has three schools hosting sites - Iowa , Michigan State and Ohio State . Minnesota will host a First/Second Round site in 2010 in Williams Arena.
Trio of Gophers Selected to Big Ten Honor Squads
Golden Gophers Emily Fox and Ashley Ellis-Milan were selected to Big Ten Conference honor squads, released by Big Ten officials. Fox was named to the All-Big Ten Second Team by votes of both the league coaches and media. Ellis-Milan earned a spot on the coaches’ and media’s All-Big Ten Third Team. Minnesota rookie Kiara Buford was voted the Big Ten’s All-Freshmen Team.
Big Ten champion Ohio State collected four top awards, led by sophomore center Jantel Lavender earning her second Player of the Year award. Buckeye head coach Jim Foster was named the Coach of the Year, while Ohio State also earned the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year in Shavelle Little and Freshman of the Year in Samantha Prahalis.
Lavender was joined on the All-Big Ten First Team by Illinois ’ Jenna Smith, Iowa ’s Kristi Smith, Penn State ’s Tyra Grant and Purdue’s Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton.
Fox is a three-time All-Big Ten honoree, previously earning second-team accord in 2007 and first-team acclaim a year ago. The senior guard leads the Gophers in scoring, averaging 12.8 points a game. Fox shares the team lead in steals with 64 and is second in assists in 117. During the season, Fox worked her way up to No. 8 on the Minnesota all-time scoring list and currently has 1,424 career points.
Ellis-Milan picks up her first postseason accolade voted upon by the Big Ten coaches. Following her sophomore season in 2008, Ellis-Milan was selected to the All-Big Ten Third Team by the Big Ten media. A junior center, Ellis-Milan tallied a team-best 12.8 points per game average in Conference play. She pulls down an average of 7.3 rebounds a game, the Gophers’ top rebounder for the last three seasons.
Gopher guard Buford is just the third Minnesota freshman to earn Conference rookie accolades, following Janel McCarville who was named the 2002 Freshman of the Year (the All-Freshman Team had not been established at the time) and Brittany McCoy , who collected All-Freshman Team accord in 2007. Buford is averaging 7.1 points a game in 2008-09.
Golden Gopher senior Kay Sylva was named as Minnesota ’s recipient of the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award. Awardwinners are student-athletes who have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior. In addition, they must be in good academic standing and have demonstrated good citizenship outside of the sports-competition setting.
Looking for That Big 20th Victory
A win in the NCAA First Round would give Minnesota its 20th victory of the season. The Gophers have collected 20 wins four times (2002-03, 2003-04, 2004-05 and 2007-08) in the Minnesota coaching tenure of Pam Borton.
Nice to See Some New Faces
One of the best things about playing in the NCAA Tournament is the chance to face some new opposition. Minnesota was averaging 72.2 points a game before embarking its defensively intense Big Ten schedule. In Big Ten play, Minnesota was one of six Conference teams to average less than 60 points per Big Ten game.
Backcourt Play Huge at NCAA Time
Minnesota’s starting backcourt of Emily Fox and Brittany McCoy have started every game for the last three seasons. Fox, a senior, is a three-time All-Big Ten pick and is eighth in school history with 1,424 points. McCoy, a junior, has led the Gophers in assists in each year of her career. Together, Fox and McCoy have tallied triple-digit assists totals for three straight seasons.
Fox Now No. 8, Surpasses 1,400 Career Points
Emily Fox has made quite a move up the all-time scorers’ list in the past month. Fox now has 1,424 points and ranks No. 8 on the Minnesota scoring list. Fox joined the top 10 of the Gophers’ all-time leading scorers’ list in the game on Feb. 15 at Michigan , her 117th career game in a Gopher uniform. In her next game (Feb. 19 versus Ohio State ), Fox scored 18 and climbed into the No. 9 spot. Another game and another step up the charts. She scored 16 versus Northwestern to take over the No. 8 spot previously held by Deb Hunter (1979-83) with 1,363 points. The No. 7 spot is held by Carol Peterka (1982-86) with 1,441 points.
Fox also recently became the eighth player in Minnesota history to score 100 three-point field goals, hitting the trey to get her triple digits in the Iowa (2-8) game. She currently has 110 career three-pointers.
The Countdown to 1,000 - 28 Points Away
Gopher junior Ashley Ellis-Milan has played the best basketball of her collegiate career this season and is nearing the 1,000 career points milestone. She is averaging 10.2 points per game over her career and currently has scored 972 points as a Golden Gopher. Ellis-Milan would be the 19th player in school history to join the career 1,000-point club.
Ellis-Milan Now Top 10 in Career Rebounding
Ashley Ellis-Milan has led the Golden Gophers in rebounding in each of her first three seasons donning the Maroon and Gold. By averaging 7.2 boards in each of her 95 career games, Ellis-Milan has now joined the top-10 list of all-time career rebounders in Minnesota history with 682 caroms. She stands at the No. 10 spot and will chase down Marty Dahlen (1979-82) in No. 9 with 703 rebounds next.
McCoy Notches Third Season With 100+ Assists
Brittany McCoy added the 2008-09 as her third consecutive season with 100 or more assists and currently has 124 on the season. McCoy’s average of 4.1 dishes a game, which ranks third in the Big Ten. The Gopher junior was already the only player in school history to dish out 100 or more assists as both a freshman and sophomore and now she adds her junior season to the list.
When McCoy dishes out five or more assists in a game this season, the Gophers are 9-2.
Fox Also Hits Century Assists Mark
Emily Fox has 117 assists on the season to join Brittany McCoy with 100 or more assists this season. The duo both collected their 100th assist of the 2008-09 season in the win at Michigan (2/15). Fox and McCoy share the honor of being one of just two sets of Minnesota teammates (Janel McCarville/April Calhoun, 2004-05) to tally triple assist totals in the same season. The Fox and McCoy tandem now accomplished the last three seasons.
Defense, Defense and More Defense
The Big Ten is known as a physical league. The statistics are revealing just how important team defense was this season. Amazingly over half the teams - six ( Illinois , Michigan , Michigan State , Minnesota , Northwestern and Wisconsin ) - are averaging less than 60 points a game this season in Conference play.
Gophers Are Winning the Close Ones
Good teams find a way to make plays in the closing minutes to win games. The Gophers were 7-0 in Big Ten games decided by six or less points. Overall, Minnesota was 8-1 in games this season decided by single digits.
Ohm Impact Makes It a Different Ballgame
When shots from the perimeter are finding the bottom of the net, the Gophers are a different team. One of Minnesota ’s main weapons from long range is Katie Ohm and when Ohm is hitting the three-pointer it opens up even more options in the Gopher offense. Ohm has netted three or more three-pointers in 12 games this season. When Ohm hits three or more triples, the Gophers are 10-2. When she hits four or more, Minnesota is 4-0.
Harper Continues to be a Force Off the Bench
Zoe Harper has contributed solid games off the bench in the post for the Gophers. In the win at Michigan State , Harper pulled down a career-high 11 rebounds and helped once again neutralize Michigan  State standout Alyssa DeHaan, who finished with just seven points and two rebounds. Against Ohio State (2/19), she helped limit Jantel Lavender to just three rebounds and 14 points, while adding six points and five rebounds of her own. Harper was one of the few bright spots in the game at Northwestern (2/23) tallying eight points, eight rebounds (including six offensive boards) and a career-high four blocked shots.
Ellis-Milan Most Consistent Gopher in Big Ten Games
Ashley Ellis-Milan was the Golden Gophers’ most consistent performer in Big Ten action this season. She led the team averaging 12.8 points and 6.6 rebounds per Conference game. Ellis-Milan has recorded double-doubles in three Big Ten games this season. Overall, Ellis-Milan has posted 19 double-doubles in her Golden Gopher career.
Voigt, Buford Need to Play Beyond Their Freshman Status
Minnesota has two freshmen in Jackie Voigt and Kiara Buford that the Gophers rely on to play not as freshmen, but as at least sophomores. Voigt is one of two freshmen ( Ohio State ’s Samantha Prahalis the other) who have started every game this season. Voigt was the Big Ten’s second-leading rookie rebounder pulling down 5.6 rebounds a game. She also contributes 5.8 points a game in an average of 27.9 minutes per contest.
Buford has emerged as an important player off the bench for the Gophers. Buford was among the leading freshman scorers in Big Ten Conference play, as well as one the top non-starting scorers, contributing 7.4 points a game. Overall, Buford is playing an average of 21.9 minutes a game, scoring 7.1 points an outing.
Ohm Closing In On Single-Season Record
Katie Ohm has been a big weapon from behind the arc this season. Her 68 three-point field goals is nearing Minnesota ’s single-season record of 73 (Lindsay Lieser, 2001-02; and Shannon Schonrock, 2004-05).
Experience Paying Dividends...
Two years ago, Minnesota put the second youngest squad in the nation on the court. In 2008-09, the Gophers have a trio of three-year starters in Emily Fox, Brittany McCoy and Ashley Ellis-Milan. McCoy has started every one of her 95 career games at Minnesota . To date, the Gophers’ starting lineup, which does include a true freshman in Jackie Voigt, boasts 356 games of starting experience.
...Especially in the Backcourt
Minnesota’s starting backcourt of Brittany McCoy and Emily Fox are ranked first and second in the Big Ten statistics in a very important, but under-appreciated stat of assist-to-turnover ratio. McCoy has 124 assists to 79 turnovers for a Big Ten-best 1.57 assist/turnover ratio. Fox has 117 assists to 80 turnovers for a 1.46 assist/turnover ratio. The duo enjoyed their best collective outing versus Boston College , combining for 13 assists without a single turnover.
Scouting Notre Dame
No. 23/20 Notre Dame brings a 22-8 record into the 2009 NCAA Tournament. The Fighting Irish finished fourth in the Big East with a 10-6 mark and gave No. 1 Connecticut its toughest battle losing to the Huskies by 10 points (76-66) in late February. Notre Dame is making its 16th NCAA Tournament appearance and its 14th consecutively.
Notre Dame is led by a pair of All-Big East performers in Lindsay Schrader and Ashley Barlow. Schrader, a 6-0 senior, tops the Irish in scoring (12.8 ppg.) and rebounding (7.5 rpg.) from her guard position. Barlow, a 5-9 junior, adds 12.4 points a game.
Minnesota and Notre Dame played four common opponents this season ( Boston College , Michigan , Michigan State , Purdue). The Irish went 3-1 with a loss to Michigan , while the Gophers were 5-2 with losses to Purdue.
The Minnesota / Notre Dame Series
Minnesota leads the series versus Notre Dame by a 1-0 margin. The 1994 NCAA Tournament game, won by Minnesota 81-76, is the only meeting.

#7 Wisconsin 56 (18-13), #2 Michigan State 50 (20-10; 13-5 Big Ten)

POSTGAME NOTES
Michigan State
• Michigan State is now 11-14 in Big Ten Tournament games with the loss to the Badgers, including 7-5 in the quarterfinals.
• The Spartans are 4-2 as the No. 2 seed. The last time they were the No. 2 seed was 2005, when they won their only Big
Ten Tournament title.
• MSU is now 1-1 against Wisconsin in the Big Ten Tournament, defeating the Badgers 87-79 in the 1995 quarterfinals.
• The Spartans lead the all-time series with Wisconsin, 33-23, but Wisconsin gets the 2-1 advantage this season with the
win today. The two teams each won on their home courts during the regular season.
• The Spartans fall to 16-2 on the year when their opponents score under 60 points.
• MSU held Wisconsin to 35 percent shooting from the floor, while the Spartans shot 37 percent. The Spartans drop to 18-3
when shooting a higher percentage than their opponents.
• Junior center Allyssa DeHaan recorded four blocks and is now the Big Ten’s all-time leading shot blocker. She now has
387 career blocks, passing Ohio State’s Jessica Davenport (384). DeHaan became the fastest in conference history to
reach the 300-blocks plateau, needing only 72 games. Nationally, DeHaan is 10th all-time and only 93 blocks shy of the
NCAA record.
• DeHaan scored nine points with six rebounds against the Badgers.
• Redshirt junior forward Aisha Jefferson had 15 points, leading the scoring for the Spartans and marking her 16th doublefigure
scoring game of the season and the 42nd of her career. She shot 7-0f-10 from the free throw line.
• Michigan State out-rebounded the Badgers, 38-31.
• The Spartans’ loss against the Badgers is the first time in the last six years that MSU have not won at least one Big Ten
Tournament game.
Wisconsin
• Wisconsin is now 2-8 in Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal games with the win against the Spartans. The Badgers’ only
other quarterfinals victory came in 2002, a 74-64 win over Minnesota.
• Wisconsin advances to the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament for just the second time in program history. The Badgers
lost, 76-62, to No. 2 seed Penn State in the semifinals of the 2002 Big Ten Tournament.
• Wisconsin’s win against MSU is just the fourth No. 7 seed to defeat a No. 2 seed in the Big Ten Tournament since 1995.
• Wisconsin is now 18-0 when holding its opponent under 65 points.
• The Badgers are a perfect 12-0 when shooting more free throws than their opponents. Wisconsin made 15-of-19 free
throws, while MSU shot 13-of-20 from the line.
• Junior gurad Rae Lin D’Alie had a season-high with six steals against the Spartans. The six steals is the most by any
Badger in the Big Ten Tournament. D’Alie now has 11 steals overall in the tournament after grabbing five against
Northwestern in the first round. The 5-3 guard has tallied four or more steals in five of her last seven games.
• D’Alie had ten points, marking the eighth time she has hit double figures in scoring this season.
• D’Alie recorded eight rebounds, while adding two assists. The eight rebounds ties her career-high. Over her last seven
games, she has totaled 29 assists while turning the ball over only 17 times.
• Sophomore forward Tara Steinbauer led the way with 15 point for the Badgers. It is the fourth time this season the
sophomore has led scoring for UW. Steinbauer also recorded two steals, tying her career-high.
• The Badgers are 5-0 on neutral courts this season. The Badgers won the Paradise Jam in Nov. with a 3-0 mark, sweeping
their opponents, including then-No. 6 Baylor.
• Sophomore forward Lin Zastrow recorded 11 points. Nine of her points and four rebounds came in the second half alone.
• UW forced 15 turnovers in the first half, while forcing another ten in the second.
• UW went on an 11-5 run in the last 7:29 of the first half to make it a 26-20 score at halftime. The Badgers’ first lead of the
game came with 10:22 remaining in the game with the score 36-35 in UW’s favor. The No. 7 seed led for the rest of the
game after that mark.

Gophers Lose To Purdue, Suffering First Big Ten Loss of the Season

One thing about basketball, no matter how good of defense a team has, they need to at some point put some numbers on the scoreboard to win. The game was a defensive battle with Purdue ending Minnesota 's four-game winning streak with a 55-40 victory. The loss was the Gophers' first loss at home.   Minnesota (17-7, 9-4) was led by Ashley Ellis-Milan and Brittany McCoy with 10 points a piece. Lakisha Freeman scored all of her 12 points in the second half to share Purdue scoring honors with teammate FahKara Malone.   Through the first 15 minutes of the second half, Minnesota had managed to score just eight points. The Boilermaker Malone's three-pointer from deep in the right corner was on its way to the bottom of the net as the shot clock buzzer sounded. That's how the second half went for the Gophers – even 29 seconds of great defense wasn't good enough.   The triple gave Purdue a 10-point lead at 45-35. Brittany McCoy answered with a three-pointer field goal of her own but the Boilermakers would continue to hold the Gophers down on the offensive end.   With four minutes left in the game, the Gophers trailed only by seven at 47-40, but the Gophers failed to score the rest of the way and scored just 13 points in the second half.   The Boilermakers owned a 27-24 lead at halftime thanks to three baskets on offensive putbacks. Minnesota , who shot 47.8 percent in the half, had a chance to tie the score at the end of the half, but Buford's three-pointer from the left baseline was long.   Malone drove in for a lay-up in the game's opening possession. The Gopher defense turned up the pressure as Purdue missed their next five shots from the field. Brittany McCoy and Jackie Voigt hit basket as Minnesota took a 4-2 lead. Wisdom-Hylton's first offensive putback tied the score at 4-4, one of five ties in the half.   Minnesota took its biggest lead at 18-13 on a Fox bucket at the 6:24 mark. Purdue answered with an 8-2 run that included three-pointers by Jodi Howell and Malone.   The Gophers' next game is at Michigan on Sunday at 4 p.m. CT. The game will be televised by the Big Ten Network .

Minneapolis Southwest 60 Minneapolis Edison 40

The Lakers were led by Senior Britta Syverson with 20 points, 24 rebounds and 4 block shots.  Reed led the Tommies with 18 points respectively.  The Lakers look to get back leading scorer Mariah Adanene next week who was out with an injury.

UW WBB: Steinbauer's double-double gives UW 58-52 win over PSU

MADISON, Wis. http://www.uwbadgers.com/sport_news/wbb/headlines/story.html?sportid=135&storyid=16808 Sophomore forward Tara Steinbauer registered her first career double-double Thursday night and helped the Badgers end their five-game losing skid with a 58-52 win over Penn State. Steinbauer scored 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in front of 5,297 fans at the Kohl Center for the first double-double of any UW player this year. With the win, Wisconsin improves to 15-10 overall, 5-9 in the Big Ten Conference while Penn State drops to 9-14, 4-9. COMPLETE POST-GAME COVERAGE:     * Final Box Score     * UW Cumulative Stats     * UW Big Ten Stats     * Post-game quotes     * Post-game news conference (video)     * Courtside Blog     * Archived Big Ten Network Web stream     * Post-game notes     * Game highlights Thursday's game stayed close until the final minute with Wisconsin leading 52-50 with 1:17 left to play. Steinbauer grabbed a decisive offensive rebound with and converted on the putback with 53 ticks left to give the Badgers the 54-50 lead. Penn State came within two points once more off a jumper by Tyra Grant but the Badgers made 2-of-4 free throws and sophomore guard Alyssa Karel converted on a fastbreak layup in the final 45 seconds to give the Badgers the 58-52 victory. PSU had opportunities but missed three field goals in the final 45 seconds. Steinbauer tied her career high with 16 points and established a new career high with her 10 boards. She was 5-of-8 from the field and had five offensive as well as five defensive boards. Two other Badgers finished in double figures including, 15 points from Karel and 11 for sophomore forward Lin Zastrow. Wisconsin shot 20-of-56 from the field for 35.7 percent. Grant led all scorers with 24 points off 8-of-15 shooting. She was the only Nittany Lion in double figures and her team finished 18-of-46 for 39.1 percent. Wisconsin shot more free throws than Penn State but made just one more than the Nittany Lions. The Badgers finished 14-of-23 from the charity stripe for 60.9 percent while PSU was 13-of-16 for 81.3 percent. The Badgers won the rebounding battle with the 36-31 edge. Freshman Anya Covington and junior guard Rae Lin D'Alie helped Steinbauer on the boards with six each. Wisconsin tied a season high with 12 steals while PSU had just five. The Badgers scored 22 points off 21 PSU turnovers while the Nittany Lions took advantage of 11 points off 12 UW giveaways. Penn State jumped out to a 5-3 lead early but went almost nine minutes without scoring. During that time, Wisconsin also had an over-five-minute scoring drought but managed to go on a 12-0 run, including six points in-a-row off layups by Zastrow. The 12-0 run put the Badgers up 15-5 with 10:12 remaining in the half. PSU's scoring drought started at 18:19 and ended at 9:44 when Grant hit a 3-pointer. Grant then scored back-to-back buckets to put PSU within three (15-12) with 7:22 left in the half. At that point, Grant had all four of Penn State's field goals. The Badgers responded, scoring seven unanswered points to go up 22-12 with 5:05 left in the half. Wisconsin scored just four more points the rest of the half but took a 26-19 lead into the lockerroom. Both teams shot less than 40 percent with the Badgers hitting 8-of-23 shots for 34.8 percent. PSU made 10-of-28 attempts for 35.7 percent. Covington was everywhere for the Badgers in the first half and grabbed all six of her rebounds, adding an assist, a block and a steal. Steinbauer had seven points for Wisconsin while Grant led all scorers with 12 points in the period. Zastrow scored Wisconsin's first four points of the second half while a steal and fastbreak layup by D'Alie gave the Badgers their biggest lead of the game at 13 points (32-19) with 18:24 left to play. After that, Wisconsin was without a field goal until the 10:58 mark and PSU used that time to outscore the Badgers 14-1, knotting the score at 33 with 12:16 left. Julia Trogele drew up two old-fashioned three-point plays during the run. Steinbauer broke Wisconsin's drought at 10:58 with a layup off a D'Alie assist to put the Badgers back up 35-33 with 10:58 showing. Shortly after, Steinbauer drained just her second 3-pointer all season, giving the Badgers the 39-35 cushion with 8:24 showing. Her bucket at 10:58 started a 13-5 run, which put the Badgers back up 48-38 (5:16 remaining). Penn State again chipped away at the lead and Zhaque Gray scored seven-straight points for the Nittany Lions to put them within two (52-50) with just 1:17 left to play. On the Badgers next possession, Steinbauer grabbed the offensive board and nailed the second-chance layup (54-52) and Wisconsin held off the Nittany Lions the rest of the way to register its 15th win of the season. The Badgers return to their home court Monday and take on Indiana. Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m. and it will air live on the Big Ten Network.

Iowa snapped a 10-game losing skid

Iowa snapped a 10-game losing skid to the Buckeyes with tonight's 10-point victory (85-75).  The series is now tied 25-25 after 50 meetings.  Iowa has now recorded two victories over ranked opponents this season (#22 Iowa State and #13 Ohio State).   Iowa has now won 18 of its last 19 contests in Carver-Hawkeye Arena, dating back to last season.  Iowa boasts an 11-1 home record this year.   Iowa's win coupled with Indiana's loss moves the Hawkeyes into fifth place in the Big Ten standings.   Iowa trailed 34-28 with 5:32 left in the first half, but closed the half on a 19-0 run to lead 47-34 at intermission.  The 47 points, in the first half, match a season high for the Hawkeyes in a half (Texas State).   The Hawkeyes dominated the Buckeyes from the free throw line.  Iowa attempted 23 more free throws than Ohio State tonight.  Iowa was 26-32 (.813), while Ohio State was only 3-9 (.333).  Iowa's Kachine Alexander was 14-18 (.778) from the charity stripe, which is a Carver-Hawkeye Arena record by an Iowa player.  Also, Kristi Smith was perfect from the foul line (10-10, 1.000).   Iowa had four players score double figures tonight: Kristi Smith (20), Kamille Wahlin (19), Kachine Alexander (16) and Wendy Ausdemore (14).   After missing the last five games due to an injured ankle, JoAnn Hamlin returned to action playing 18 minutes off the bench.  She missed her five field goal attempts, but did grab three rebounds and had an assist and a block.   Wahlin's 19 points is a personal best.  She also dished out a team-high five assists.   Smith has now topped the 20-point plateau four times this season, including twice in the last four games.   Iowa out-rebounded Ohio State by seven tonight (42-35).   Iowa shot 56.7 percent (17-30) from the field in the first half and 45 percent (27-60) for the game.  The Hawkeyes' field goal percentage was bolstered by 5-11 (.455) shooting from distance.   Ohio State was led by Jantel Lavender, who netted a game-high 32 points tonight.  She also corralled 10 rebounds.  Star Allen contributed 11 rebounds and six points, while Samantha Prahalis collected a game-high six assists and had nine points for the Buckeyes.   Iowa returns to action Sunday when it travels to Penn State.  Tip-off is scheduled for 2:05 p.m. (CST) at the Bryce Jordan Center in University Park, PA.

Lady Lions Comeback Effort Falls Short at Wisconsin

Grant leads all scorers with 24 points; Gray adds nine tallies UNIVERSITY PARK, PA; February 12, 2009 — The Penn State Lady Lions (9-14, 4-9) rallied from a 13-point deficit in the second half to tie the game, but could not finish off the comeback in a 58-52 loss at Wisconsin (14-10, 4-9) Thursday night. Junior Tyra Grant (Youngstown, Ohio) continued her outstanding season with a game-high 24 points for her 13th game this season with 20 or more tallies. With her effort, Grant moved into 14th place on Penn State's all-time scoring list (1,338).   Sophomore guard/forward Julia Trogele (Devon, Pa.) returned to form as she had six points, all of which came in the second-half rally, to go along with 11 rebounds, three assists and two steals. Coming off of an 11-point performance at Michigan Monday night, freshman Zhaque Gray (Chicago, Ill.) was 3-for-4 from the field and made both of her free throw attempts to account for nine points in the loss to the Badgers.      In what was a contrasting style from the first time these teams met, both offenses were clicking early as Wisconsin jumped out to an 8-5 lead in the first four minutes. Grant drained a long jumper and Brianne O'Rourke (Pittsburgh, Pa.) converted on an old-fashioned three-point play to open the scoring for the Lions. However, after the first media timeout, the pace of the game slowed dramatically as the two squads only managed one Tara Steinbauer free throw over the next four minutes to make it a 9-5 game at the 12-minute mark.   The Badgers extended their lead to 15-5 on a trio of Lin Zastrow layups before Grant ended a nearly nine-minute scoreless drought with a three-pointer and added a jumper in the lane to make it a 13-10 game with nine minutes left in the half. Grant capped a personal 7-0 run with a layup to make it a just a three-point Badger lead (15-12) with 7:22 on the clock. However, Wisconsin reeled off seven consecutive points to extend their lead to 10 points (22-12) despite having their two leading scorers (Alyssa Karel and Lin Zastrow) on the bench with two fouls each.   Mashea Williams (Erie, Pa.) made a nice move around a Wisconsin player for the layup to make it a 20-14 game with 3:40 on the clock. Evelyn Lewis (Hampton, Va.) made a layup and Grant drained a three-pointer to cap a 7-0 run by the Lady Lions and make it a five-point game (24-19) with 58 seconds on the clock. The Badgers got two free throws by Steinbauer with 34 seconds left to send the teams into the half with Wisconsin holding a 26-19 lead.   The Badgers came out hot in the second half as they scored six straight points to extend their lead to 32-19 just a minute and a half into the second frame, but as was the case in Happy Valley, the Lady Lions stormed back. Trogele converted on a three-point play to start a 14-1 run for the Lady Lions. Meredith Monroe (Olney, Md.) grabbed an offensive board and converted on the layup, followed by another three-point play by Trogele sliced the lead to five points. After one free throw by Zastrow, Renee Womack (Lansdale, Pa.) stole the ball from Steinbauer and went the length of the court for the lay-in. Grant added a layup off of a great pass from Trogele and O'Rourke capped the run with two free throws to make it a tie game at 33-33 with 12:17 left in the game.     A bucket by Steinbauer gave the Badgers a two-point lead, but the Lady Lions responded immediately with a layup by Gray off of a spin move in the lane to tie the game at 35-35 with 9:41 to play. The Badgers shook off the offensive rust to score nine of the game's next 10 points to take a 44-36 lead with just under seven minutes left in the game. After a pair of Grant free throws, Wisconsin pushed their lead to 10 points (48-38) with five minutes on the clock.   Grant knocked down a pair of free throws to cut the deficit to eight points (48-40) and the Lions tightened their defense to force a shot clock violation on the Badgers. On the ensuing offensive possession, Grant converted on an old-fashioned three-point play to make it a five-point game at 48-43 with 3:33 on the clock. Karel scored three straight points to push the lead back to eight points, but Gray knocked down a three-pointer from the top of the arc to pull the Lions within five points (51-46) with just over two minutes left.   Following one free throw by Teah Gant, Gray continued her surge with a layup and two free throws on consecutive offensive possession to make it a two-point game at 52-50 with just over one minute to play. Steinbauer scored a bucket to stretch the lead to four before Grant knocked down a bucket to make it a two-point lead 54-52 with 46 seconds left. Steinbauer added a free throw to push the lead to three and the Lady Lions had an opportunity to tie the game, but could not convert. The Badgers scored three more points in the final 21 seconds for the final margin of victory.   GAME NOTES: With 24 points tonight, Tyra Grant moved up two places into 14th on Penn State's all-time scoring list (1,338), passing Cheryl Ellison (1,320) and Maren Walseth (1,328)…Grant notched her 13th 20-point game of the season and the 24th of her career…Sophomore Julia Trogele reached the 200-rebound mark for her career with 11 boards.   The Lady Lions return to the BJC for the Third Annual WBCA Pink Zone at Penn State proudly supported by Mimi Barash Coppersmith. Fans will receive a Pink Lady Lion Basketball hat at the gates, while supplies last, and there will be a special presentation to honor breast cancer survivors at halftime. The first two Pink Zone events have raised more than $50,000 for breast cancer awareness. This year's fundraising efforts will benefit the Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute, the Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition and the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund. For more information on the Pink Zone at Penn State, visit the official Pink Zone website at www.gopsusports.com/pinkzone. For information on Lady Lion Basketball tickets, call the Penn State ticket office at 814-865-5555.   The 2009 WBCA Pink Zone at Penn State proudly supported by Mimi Barash Coppersmith online auction will kick off on Monday at noon. Items that will be available up for bid include all 13 of the uniforms worn by the Lady Lions for the Pink Zone game, as well as a one-week timeshare for anywhere in the world, Penn State football experiences and autographed memorabilia. For more information on the Pink Zone Online Auction, visit the Pink Zone auction website (http://psupinkzone.cstvauctions.com) on Monday. —LADY LIONS—

Lady Lions Pick Up Road Win at Michigan, 65-56

Penn State ends 14-game road losing streak as Grant lead three in double digits with 15 points UNIVERSITY PARK, PA; February 9, 2009 — The Penn State Lady Lions (9-13, 4-8) used a balanced scoring attack to end a 14-game road with a 64-56 victory over Michigan (10-14, 3-10) Thursday night. The Lions, who won on the road for the first time since Jan. 5, 2008 when they topped Michigan State in East Lansing, had six players with eight or more points, led by junior Tyra Grant's (Youngstown, Ohio) 15 points. Grant was solid down the stretch as she was 6-for-6 from the free throw line in the final five seconds.   Grant also accounted for seven rebounds and a key steal in the waning moments. Sophomore Julia Trogele (Devon, Pa.) was impressive in her return to the lineup as she accounted for 11 points and eight rebounds. Trogele missed the Minnesota game after injuring her ankle against Iowa. Freshman Zhaque Gray (Chicago, Ill.) was on fire it the first half as she scored 11 points on a perfect 4-for-4 shooting night.   Senior Brianne O'Rourke (Pittsburgh, Pa.) added nine points and three assists, while Mashea Williams (Erie, Pa.) added eight tallies and three helpers. Sophomore Janessa Wolff (Park Rapids, Minn.) continued her solid play with eight points, seven rebounds and two blocks. As they did in their first game against the Wolverines, the Lady Lions dominated on the glass, outrebounding Michigan by a 38-28 margin.   The game started with a very quick pace and the teams found themselves tied at 7-7 four minutes into the game. Wolff grabbed the rebound off of an O'Rourke miss and converted on the layup to give the Lions a 9-7 lead. However, Benson scored four-straight points to give the Wolverines a two-point lead (11-9) with just under 14 minutes left in the half, but the Lady Lions fought back as Gray knocked down back-to-back three-pointers to put Penn State up by a 15-11 margin.   Trailing by four, Michigan rattled off eight consecutive points to establish a 19-15 lead with 9:20 to play in the opening frame. Trogele stopped Penn State's nearly six-minute scoring drought with a three-pointer to cut the deficit to a single point at 19-18. Following a basket by Stephany Skrba, the Lady Lions tightened their defense and found their offensive rhythm as they went on a 8-0 thanks to four points by Grant, a two tallies each by Trogele and Gray to take a five-point lead at 26-21 with 3:35 on the clock. Krista Phillips stopped a nearly six-minute drought for the Wolverines with a basket and Carmen Reynolds added a three-pointer to tie the game at 26-26 with under a minute to play in the half. Gray capped the scoring for the half with a three-pointer to send Penn State into the locker room with a 29-26 lead.   Gray was outstanding in the first half for the Lady Lions as she was 4-for-4, including a perfect 3-for-3 from three-point range, en route to 11 points. Trogele added five points and a pair of rebounds, while Grant and Wolff added four tallies apiece. Reynolds, who entered the game averaging 5.5 points per game, scored nine points in the first half and had two blocks to lead the Wolverines.   Evelyn Lewis (Hampton, Va.) grabbed a rebound and putback on Penn State's first offensive possession to extend the Lady Lion lead to five points (31-26) just 26 seconds into the period. After the squads swapped baskets, Michigan scored four consecutive points to cut the lead to a single point (33-32) with 17:35 left in the game.   O'Rourke scored two baskets that were sandwiched around a pair of Jessica Minnfield free throws to push the lead to three at 37-34 at the 15:25 mark. Unfortunately for Penn State, O'Rourke picked up her fourth foul of the game just 19 seconds later and was relegated to the bench until the 8:09 mark. The Wolverines took advantage of having O'Rourke off the court as they scored seven consecutive points to take a 41-37 lead with just over 14 minutes to play.   The squads swapped baskets with Wolff's jumper and Grant's three-pointer accounting for PSU's scoring in that stretch to keep the Michigan lead at four points (46-42) with 11 minutes remaining in the game. However, the Lady Lions continued to claw back as Trogele's old-fashioned three-point play sparked a 16-3 run. Williams accounted for three baskets, Trogele chipped in six points and Wolff and Grant each connected on a layups during the run that pushed Penn State to a nine-point lead at 58-49 with five and half minutes to play.   Michigan rebounded from the Penn State run with seven consecutive points of their own to make it a 58-56 game with 1:52 on the clock. On an entry pass into the post, Trogele reached around to knock the ball away and into the arms of Grant, who ran the floor before smartly pulling the ball out and allowing Coquese Washington to call a timeout. On the ensuing offensive possession, Williams' shot bounced off the rim, but Trogele was in perfect position for the offensive rebound. The Lions pulled the ball out to reset the offense, but Williams turned the ball over. However, Grant pick-pocketed Minnfield to regain possession and earned the intentional foul on Carly Benson. Grant knocked down both of her free throws to make it a 60-56 lead with five seconds left.   The Lady Lions regained possession because of the intentional foul and Grant was sent to the free throw line again. However, before Grant made it to the line, Michigan head coach Kevin Borseth received a technical foul, giving Grant four free throws. Grant was true on all four of her attempts, finding nothing but net for the final margin.   GAME NOTES: This was Penn State's first true road win since Jan. 5, 2008, a string of 14 consecutive games…With 15 points tonight, junior Tyra Grant became the 16th player in school history to reach the 1,300-point mark for her career. She now has 1,3014 points in her three seasons at PSU…Sophomore Janessa Wolff moved into 17th place on Penn State's all-time blocks list, passing Jacquelyn Shook (2001-02), as she blocked her 48th career shot.   The Lady Lions visit Wisconsin on Thursday before returning to the BJC for the Third Annual WBCA Pink Zone at Penn State proudly supported by Mimi Barash Coppersmith. Fans will receive a Pink Lady Lion Basketball hat at the gates, while supplies last, and there will be a special presentation to honor breast cancer survivors at halftime. The first two Pink Zone events have raised more than $50,000 for breast cancer awareness. This year's fundraising efforts will benefit the Penn State Hershey Breast Cancer Institute, the Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition and the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund. For more information on the Pink Zone at Penn State, visit the official Pink Zone website at www.gopsusports.com/pinkzone. For information on Lady Lion Basketball tickets, call the Penn State ticket office at 814-865-5555.   The 2009 WBCA Pink Zone at Penn State proudly supported by Mimi Barash Coppersmith online auction will kick off on Monday at noon. Items that will be available up for bid include all 13 of the uniforms worn by the Lady Lions for the Pink Zone game, as well as a one-week timeshare for anywhere in the world, Penn State football experiences and autographed memorabilia. For more information on the Pink Zone Online Auction, visit the Pink Zone auction website (http://psupinkzone.cstvauctions.com) on Monday.   —LADY LIONS—

UW WBB: Purdue runs past Wisconsin in second half, Badgers fall 66-49

http://www.uwbadgers.com/sport_news/wbb/headlines/story.html?sportid=135&storyid=16755 The Wisconsin women's basketball team trailed by just six points at halftime but Purdue's strong second half catapulted the Boilermakers to a 66-49 win at Mackey Arena Sunday afternoon. Wisconsin has now lost five-straight games and drops to 14-10 overall, 4-9 in the Big Ten Conference while Purdue improves to 16-8, 9-4. Purdue led by as many as 25 points in the second half and out-scored the Badgers 20-5 within the first 9:30 of the half. "We just came out of the locker room and couldn't put the ball in the basket for quite some time," UW head coach Lisa Stone said. "That's something where our spacing needs to improve a little bit. They really got some rhythm. The ball went into the post and they were able to pass out of our double team, skip that baseline runner to both Jodi Howell and Brittany Rayburn for open 3's. We gave up way too many points in a short amount of time to start the second half and we just couldn't get anything going." UW sophomore Alyssa Karel led the Badgers with 16 points on 7-of-13 shooting. She also made two of Wisconsin's four 3-point field goals. Freshman Anya Covington saw increased time in the post and grabbed double-digit rebounds for the third time this season as she finished with 10. She also went 2-of-4 from the field and a perfect 4-of-4 from the free throw line for eight points. As a team, Wisconsin shot just 19-of-61 for 31.1 percent. Purdue finished 23-of-60 for 38.3 percent but made 7-of-17 attempts from 3-point range. Howell led the Boilermakers with 15 points off a perfect 5-of-5 from 3-point range. Rayburn and Lakisha Freeman added 13 and 12 points, respectively. Purdue won the battle on the boards, out-rebounding Wisconsin 44-38. The Boilermakers had nine offensive rebounds in the first half and finished with 12. Purdue had the 14-8 advantage on second chance points. The Badgers finished with 16 turnovers, leading to 21 points for Purdue while the Boilermakers turned it over 14 times for nine Badger points. "We played until the end," Stone said. "This is a team that you don't have to coach effort. They bring it and I'm proud of them for that. We showed some strength and some will. We talk about breaking things down media (timeout) by media (timeout). In the first half, after the first two, we were leading in my opinion. Then we had I believe it was a four and a half minute drought. We had some good looks at the basket, only nine turnovers in the first half which is not too bad, but we were strapped by a little bit of foul trouble in the post." Wisconsin jumped out to a 6-0 lead with Karel scoring back-to-back jumpers. After a Purdue timeout, the Boilermakers responded, going on a 7-0 run to take the 7-6 lead with 16:39 remaining in the first half. Both teams stayed close until Wisconsin hit a scoring drought for more than four minutes and Purdue jumped out to a 17-11 lead with 9:04 showing. Karel finally broke the drought with another jumper. At that point, Karel had nine of Wisconsin's 13 points. Two free throws by Covington put the Badgers within two points (17-15) but Purdue went on another run, outscoring the Badgers 9-0 to take its largest lead of the game at that point at 11 (26-15) with 3:56 left. Karel broke the drought again and the Badgers seemed to have some momentum on their side as Rae Lin D'Alie connected on a jumper on UW's next possession but Purdue went up by nine (28-19) with 1:48 remaining in the first. Two Covington free throws put the Badgers within four (28-24) but Natasha Bogdanova hit a jumper to put the score at 30-24 heading into halftime. Wisconsin struggled offensively in the first half, hitting just 9-of-28 shots for 32.1 percent and turned the ball over nine times. Purdue dominated on the offensive glass with nine offensive rebounds compared to five for Wisconsin. Purdue also struggled offensively in the first half, going 10-of-32 for 31.3 percent. The Boilermakers started the second half strong, scoring six-straight to jump ahead 36-24. Sophomore Tara Steinbauer drew an old-fashioned three-point play to break the Boilermaker run but the Badgers couldn't stop Purdue. Howell made two 3-pointers as the Boilermakers went on a 10-0 run to take the 21-point lead (50-29) with 11:24 left. The Badgers struggled to erase the deficit and couldn't get closer than 16 points the rest of the way. Wisconsin stayed tough until the end though, scoring six points in the final minute. "They were better than we were today, that's just the way it is," Stone said. "They scored, we didn't get out and contest. There are some things we can address both defensively and offensively and we're getting stronger. We played with a lot more will than we did a week ago and this is one that we'll go back and clip because there are some teaching points defensively. Offensively, we need a little bit better spacing and the ability to attack that zone that they had. We got some good looks in the post but just couldn't capitalize." Wisconsin returns home to the Kohl Center Thursday for a 7 p.m. game against Penn State. Be sure to log onto UWBadgers.com throughout the week for previews leading up to Thursday's game.

Ashley Ellis-Milan Scores 21 to Lead Gophers Past Iowa

Minnesota owned the last four minutes of the game, outscoring Iowa by a 13-2 margin, to pull off an important 64-58 victory on Sunday. The Golden Gophers are 17-6 overall and 9-3 in Big Ten play, a single game out of first place thanks to a Ohio State loss at Michigan State.   Gopher junior Ashley Ellis-Milan scored eight of those points down the stretch and finished with 21 points. Kiara Buford added 10 points, while Kay Sylva was a perfect 3-for-3 for eight points off the bench.   Iowa (14-9, 7-5) used a 7-0 run to take a 49-42 with 4:22 remaining. After a media timeout at the 3:58 mark, the Gophers went to work.   Jackie Voigt hit a free throw to start the Gophers' rally. The Gopher defense came up with a big stop with Voigt then collecting the rebound on a missed Kachine Alexander jumper.   The Gophers were successful feeding the ball in to the low block on several possessions, but on this particular one Ellis-Milan found herself wide open at the top of the key. She first looked to pass, but then gathered herself for the three-pointer, swishing the shot to notch only her second career triple.   The teams exchanged turnovers and missed shots before the Gophers looked inside to Ellis-Milan, who faked to the left then exploded to the right for a tough shot in the lane. She banked home the shot and drew the foul on Iowa 's Megan Skouby. Ellis-Milan hit the free throw to score back-to-back three-point plays.   Skouby, who played her best career game against the Gophers with 21 points and 11 rebounds, hit a big jumper from the right elbow with defenders in her face to give Iowa its final lead at 58-56.   The Gophers ran through their offense with Brittany McCoy missing a jumper. Voigt snatched the ball under the rim and found Emily Fox open on the right baseline for a 12-foot jumper to tie the score at 58-58 with 1:19 left to play.   Minnesota effective 2-3 zone hampered the Hawkeyes into a turnover in their next possession with Buford stripping the ball from Alexander. A scramble for the ball resulted in a jump ball with the Gophers' taking possession.   Ellis-Milan was the obvious choice to take the big shot in this game. McCoy found her in the lane, then Ellis-Milan quickly spun to her left, hitting a left-handed lay-in over Skouby to put the Gophers on top to stay.   Hawkeye guard Kamile Wahlin had an open look at a three-pointer, but the shot rimmed out and Voigt grabbed the rebound knowing she would be fouled. The rookie stepped to the line with 30 seconds left and calmly iced the game with a pair of free throws.   The scene repeated itself in the next Iowa possession. After Voigt snagged her seventh rebound of the game, she added two more free throws with seven ticks remaining. Voigt finished with nine points.   Minnesota didn't shoot well overall, finishing at just 37.9 percent, but the Gophers committed just nine turnovers and converted on 14-16 free throws (87.5 percent.   Most of the Gophers' struggles come in the first half where they went 8-of-29 from the floor to find themselves down 29-23 at halftime.   Minnesota hosts Purdue on Thursday at 8 p.m.   - UM -

Minnesota Rallies to Beat Iowa, 64-58

Post-Game Notes Minnesota rallied from seven points down late to escape with a 64-58 win over Iowa today at Williams Arena in Minneapolis, MN.  Iowa falls to 14-9 overall and 7-5 in league play.  Minnesota improves to 17-6 overall and 9-3 in the Big Ten.   Tonight was the 61st meeting between Iowa and Minnesota.  Minnesota snapped a three-game losing skid to the Hawkeyes with today's win.  Iowa now leads the all-time series, 40-21.  Today was Minnesota's first triumph over Iowa in Minneapolis since beating Iowa on Feb. 3, 2005.   Today's game was a homecoming for three Hawkeyes who hail from the state of Minnesota: Kachine Alexander (Minneapolis), Hannah Draxten (Fergus Falls) and Kamille Wahlin (Crookston).  About 300-400 fans were at the game tonight cheering for the Hawkeyes and their three Minnesota natives.   Iowa made all its 3-pointers in the first half.  The Hawkeyes were 0-9 (.000) in the second half from distance.   Minnesota was 14-16 from the foul line, while Iowa was 5-5.   Despite playing without JoAnn Hamlin, Iowa outrebounded Minnesota 38-31.   Megan Skouby posted her first career double-double today (21 points and 11 rebounds).  The 11 rebounds are a career best.  Skouby netted 15 of her 21 points in the second stanza.   Kristi Smith contributed 14 points and four assists, while Wendy Ausdemore had 13 points and five rebounds.  Kamille Wahlin tallied eight points, seven rebounds and a game-high six assists.   Iowa led 56-49 with four minutes remaining, but the Golden Gophers ended the game on a 15-2 run, sparked by six-straight points by Ashley Ellis-Milan.   The Golden Gophers improved to 11-1 in home games this year.   Iowa led 29-23 at intermission.  Today marked the 14th contest this season that Iowa led halftime.  Iowa lost for the first time (13-1) this year when leading at the break.  The Hawkeyes led by as many as 12 points (20-8) in the first half.  The Hawkeyes shot 50 percent (12-24) from the field, including 46 percent (5-11) from 3-point range, in the first stanza.   Iowa made the first bucket of the second half, but Minnesota quickly answered by going on a 10-0 surge to take its first lead of the game 33-31 at the 16:28 mark.   Iowa scored on five of its first six offensive possessions, including its first four trips down the court.  The Hawkeyes jumped out to a 12-4 advantage the first four minutes of the contest.   JoAnn Hamlin missed her fifth-straight game today with a sprained left ankle.  Hamlin is Iowa's second-leading rebounder and fifth-leading scorer.    Iowa returns to action Thursday when it entertains nationally-ranked Ohio State.  Tip-off is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.  Thursday will be the only regular season game between the two schools.   Post-Game Quotes Iowa Head Coach Lisa Bluder "This was a great game.  I thought when Ellis-Milan hit that three, her first of the season, that was a big blow."   "I thought we did a better job on the boards today, but we didn't have good box out positioning when we needed it most down the stretch."   "Megan shot the ball extremely well and did a nice job on the boards.  She was in the zone."   Senior Kristi Smith "They (Minnesota) did a good job making plays the final couple minutes.  We had some open looks, but they just didn't fall."

Lady Lions Visit Michigan Monday Night

Game will be televised by the Big Ten Network at 7 p.m. UNIVERSITY PARK, PA; February 7, 2009 — The Penn State Lady Lions (8-13, 3-8) continue a stretch of six of eight games on the road and will look to change the tide when they travel to Michigan on Monday night for a 7 p.m. tip-off. The Big Ten Network will televise the game with Mark Neely and Mary Murphy behind the mic.   TV/RADIO/WEB: The game can be seen live on the Big Ten Network with Mark Neely and Mary Murphy calling the action. The contest can be heard on the Penn State Sports Radio Network with Jerry Fisher describing play. The game will air locally WMAJ. The audio feed and a link to live stats are available at www.GoPSUSports.com.   LAST TIME OUT: Seemingly in command for much of the game, the Penn State Lady Lions were held with without a field goal for the final 2:36 of the game en route to a tough 63-61 loss to Minnesota on Thursday. Junior Tyra Grant, who was unable to connect on Penn State's final attempt to tie the game with four seconds left, continued her stellar play with a team-best 21 points for her 12th 20-point performance of the season. Sophomore Janessa Wolff was solid she hit her first four shots and finished with 11 points. She also pulled down five rebounds, had three steals and a pair of assists.   SCOUTING MICHIGAN: The Wolverines are 10-13 on the season, but have lost seven of their last eight games en route to a 3-9 mark in conference play. Jessica Minnfield is the lone Michigan player averaging double figures at a 10.4 per game clip. She also averages 4.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.5 steals per game. Carly Benson is second on the squad in scoring with a 9.0 average.   ALL-TIME VS. THE WOLVERINES: The Lady Lions are 23-8 all-time against Michigan, including an 10-4 mark in road games. The Lions snapped a two-game losing streak to the Wolverines with a 76-58 victory over Michigan on Jan. 4. Last season, the teams split the regular-season games with each squad winning on their home floor.   LAST TIME VS. UM: The Penn State Lady Lions overcame a sluggish start to turn in a dominating performance in a 76-58 victory over Michigan on Jan. 4. Junior Tyra Grant led four Lady Lions in double figures and posted her eight 20-point game of the season with 24 tallies on 8-of-16 shooting. Senior guard Brianne O'Rourke added 13 points, four rebounds and six assists, while Mashea Williams had 10 tallies, five rebounds and a career high-tying eight assists.   GRANT CLIMBS CAREER CHART: Junior guard Tyra Grant used a 21-point performance against Minnesota on Feb. 5 to climb four spots on Penn State's career scoring chart. She is now 16th in Penn State history with 1,299 points after passing Louise Leimkuhler (1,280 pts.), Carol Walderman (1,288), Helen Darling (1,294) and Kathy Phillips (1,295) with her performance against the Gophers.   WILLIAMS STEALS THE SHOW: Senior guard Mashea Williams tied her career high with five steals against Minnesota on Feb. 5, equaling the mark she set against Illinois on Jan. 28, 2006. She is also the first Lady Lion to have five steals in a game since Brianne O'Rourke had five thefts against the Illini on Dec. 28, 2008. Williams now has 130 career steals. TY'S 20S: With 21 tallies against Minnesota, junior Tyra Grant reached the 20-point plateau for the 12th time this season and the 23rd in her career. Her 12 20-point games this season are the most by a Lady Lion since Tanisha Wright had 13 games with 20 or more points. Grant currently leads the Big Ten in scoring in conference games with a 20.6 per game averaging, nearly a full point better than the next closest competitor.   SO YOU WANT TO BE A COACH, BRIANNE: Senior guard Brianne O'Rourke was recently selected to participate in the Seventh Annual WBCA's So You Want To Be A Coach program. The workshop will be held in conjunction with the WBCA National Convention and the Women's Final Four in St. Louis, Mo. The So You Want To Be A Coach Program is designed to increase the amount of minorities in the coaching profession, by providing a workshop based on educational and professional principles to help those interested in the field.   The Lady Lions visit Wisconsin on Thursday before returning to the BJC for the Third Annual WBCA Pink Zone at Penn State proudly supported by Mimi Barash Coppersmith. Fans will receive a Pink Lady Lion Basketball hat at the gates, while supplies last, and there will be a special presentation to honor breast cancer survivors at halftime. The first two Pink Zone events have raised more than $50,000 for breast cancer awareness. This year's fundraising efforts will benefit the Penn State Hershey Breast Cancer Institute, the Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition and the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund. For more information on the Pink Zone at Penn State, visit the official Pink Zone website at www.gopsusports.com/pinkzone. For information on Lady Lion Basketball tickets, call the Penn State ticket office at 814-865-5555.   The 2009 WBCA Pink Zone at Penn State proudly supported by Mimi Barash Coppersmith online auction will kick off on Monday at noon. Items that will be available up for bid include all 13 of the uniforms worn by the Lady Lions for the Pink Zone game, as well as a one-week timeshare for anywhere in the world, Penn State football experiences and autographed memorabilia. For more information on the Pink Zone Online Auction, visit the Pink Zone auction website (http://psupinkzone.cstvauctions.com) on Monday.   —LADY LIONS—