Buford Scores 22 in Gopher Victory

Buford Provides Scoring Punch Off the Bench in Gopher Victory   Freshman Kiara Buford scored a career-high 22 points to lead Minnesota to a 79-62 victory over American in the semifinal of the Subway Basketball Classic in Williams Arena on Saturday. The Golden Gophers, 3-1 overall, will face Yale Sunday at 1 p.m. in the Classic championship game.   The Gophers' 5-11 rookie guard scored her first seven points in succession to help Minnesota edge out a lead from a 13-12 margin to an eight-point cushion at 20-12 after a Buford three-pointer from the left wing nine minutes into the game.   "Hitting those shots does help your confidence," said Buford, the first Golden Gopher freshman since Janel McCarville (23 points versus Illinois on Jan. 3, 2002) to score over 20 points in a game. "It was fun to get out there and run. Our post players were also setting some great screens for us which helped a lot." To read more and review the NC State vs. Yale game please click here.