Gophers Win Colorado Coors Classic

Minnesota rallied from an eight-point halftime deficit with a blistering second-half performance to capture an 86-67 win over UMass in the championship game of the Colorado Coors Classic in Boulder, Colo. Emily Fox scored a season-high 24 points, while Katie Ohm added a career-high 20 points and Ashley Ellis-Milan posted a double-double with 11 points and 14 rebounds. Minnesota , winners of six straight games, is 6-1 on the season.   Fox was honored as the Classic MVP, her second honor in as many weeks. Ellis-Milan joined Fox on the all-tournament team.   "I told the team at halftime that we were hurting ourselves and that we need to get out there and play our game," said Golden Gopher head coach Pam Borton. "We had so many people step up in the second half. Once again, we had several players who deserved all-tournament honors. It was great to see Emmy play well in front of her home-state family and friends. Ashley took control of the boards, Katie made some huge shots. I could go on and on."   Fox started the second-half barrage with a three-pointer after the Gophers extended the possession with two offensive rebounds. The triple started a 10-0 run erased UMass' halftime lead and with an Ellis-Milan bucket, only on a second-chance opportunity, gave the Gophers a 38-36 lead, their first since early in the first half.   What Fox started after intermission, Ohm continued. The Gopher junior sharpshooter caught fire from behind the arc hitting four three-pointers and scored 16 points to finish with a career-best six treys in the game.   Ellis-Milan grabbed five offensive rebounds to fuel a huge rebounding performance that capitalized on a 27-7 advantage on the boards in the second half. Minnesota collected plenty of second chances pulling down 16 offensive rebounds to just two for UMass in the game.   UMass (3-3) tied the score one more time at 41-41, but Minnesota ran off 12 straight points to take complete control of the outcome. Brittany McCoy dished out seven assists in the second half to finish with 10, her second double-digit outing of the season. Five different players hit three-pointers for the Gophers in the second half, including Fox with four.   The first half was a completely different story. The Gophers struggled on both ends of the court, shooting just 33 percent from the field and leaving too many points on the free throw line, converting just 5-of-13 attempts. UMass made 6-10 three-pointers and 10-12 free throws to take advantage of the Gophers' sluggish start.   Minnesota returns home to play host to St. Mary's College ( Calif. ) on Monday. Tip off is at 7 p.m. in Williams Arena.   -         UM –