Minnesota vs South Dakota State Pregame notes

The following is from www.gophersports.com Minnesota Golden Gophers (8-1) vs. South Dakota State Jackrabbits (8-1) LOCATION  Williams Arena (14,625) - Minneapolis , Minn. DATE / TIME:  Tuesday, Dec. 9 / 7 p.m. TELEVISION:  none RADIO / WEBCAST:   WCCO 830 AM / Gopher Radio Network / gophersports.com Corbu Stathes (Play-by-play), Lynnette Sjoquist (Color Analyst) Golden Gopher Watch List — Dec. 9, 2008 • Golden Gophers Host South Dakota State - Minnesota plays host to South Dakota State on Tuesday, Dec. 9, in the Golden Gophers' final game before taking semester exams. The Gophers are 8-1 and winners of eight straight games. The Jackrabbits also own an 8-1 record. • Gophers Beat Boston College in ACC-Big Ten Challenge - Minnesota captured an 80-60 victory over Boston College in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge behind seven three-point field goals and a career-high 23 points by Katie Ohm. Three other Gophers (Ashley Ellis-Milan, Brittany McCoy and Jackie Voigt) also scored in double figures. • Minnesota Lighting Up the Scoreboard - Minnesota has scored 80 or more points in three consecutive games for the first time since the opening trio of contests in the 2005-06 season. In each of those games, the Gophers have scored 50 or more points in the second half. • Collectable Pin Giveaway - The first 500 fans at each of the Gopher home games this season will receive a pin of a player or coach. The pin giveaway on Tuesday is Kiara Buford.   Gophers Host South Dakota State Minnesota plays host to South Dakota State on Tuesday, Dec. 9, in the Golden Gophers' final game before taking semester exams. The Gophers are 8-1 and winners of eight straight games coming off an 80-60 victory over Boston College in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge last Thursday. The Jackrabbits also own an 8-1 record. Semester Exams Coming Up Tuesday's game is the last for the Gopher student-athletes before they take semester exams. The Gophers will have a 12-day break before their next game on Sunday, Dec. 21, at Iowa State . Defending the Home Court in The Barn Williams Arena is one of the toughest places to play in the nation for opposing teams. During Pam Borton's coaching tenure, the Golden Gophers have compiled an impressive 38-4 (90.4%) record in games against con-conference opponents. Minnesota is 5-0 in The Barn this season. Emmy Continues Climb Up Scoring Chart Emily Fox started her season in 13th on the Minnesota all-time leading scorers list and is currently 11th with 1,170 career points. Looking ahead, Fox's next target on the list in 10th place is Ellen Kramer (1987-91) with 1,336 points. Ohm Ties Williams Record For Threes Made Katie Ohm collected seven three-point field goals in the win over Boston College to tie the WIlliams Arena set by Lindsay Whalen with seven triples versus Michigan State in January of 2004. Ohm finished the game with 23 points, a career high for the third straight game. It Starts With the Defense Minnesota has scored 80 or more points in three consecutive games for the first time since the opening trio of contests in the 2005-06 season. Though the end result is putting the ball in the hoop, for the Gophers, success on offensive begins with success on defense. Minnesota has used its pressure defense to force opponents into an average of 22.2 turnovers a game. In five games this season, the Gophers have snagged 10 or more steals. Coaches Love This One Minnesota's starting backcourt of Emily Fox and Brittany McCoy ranked first and second in the Big Ten statistics in a very important, but under-appreciated stat of assist to turnover ratio. Fox has over twice the number of assists (43) this season to turnovers (21) for an impressive 2.05 assist/turnover ratio. McCoy checks in a 1.92 with 50 assists and 26 turnovers. The duo was spectacular versus Boston College , combining for 13 assists without a single turnover. Words of Wisdom Working Well Whatever Golden Gopher head coach Pam Borton is telling her team at halftime is working. Minnesota has scored 50 or more points in the second half in the last three games. The Gophers' offensive statistics speak for themselves. In these three high-scoring periods of play, Minnesota shot 57.8 percent (52-90) from the floor, 50.0 percent (21-42) from three-point range and 80.5 percent (33-41) from the free throw line. The Gophers' solid shooting percentages were aided by an average of just 6.0 turnovers in each half. On Any Giving Night... Minnesota has enjoyed a great deal of balance in the scoring column this season. The Gophers landed four players in double digits versus Boston College , marking the fourth time this season that four or more players contributed double-figures performances. A closer look at the Boston College game one realizes an unusual result of balance. Minnesota 's then-leading scorer Emily Fox tallied only eight points to finish as the only starter out of double figures. Minnesota Holds Up Its End of the Deal Minnesota was one of four Big Ten teams to capture victories in this year's ACC-Big Ten Challenge. The ACC won the Challenge by a 7-4 margin. Other Big Ten teams to win their games were Indiana (over Miami ), Michigan (over North Carolina State ) and Wisconsin (over Virginia Tech). Can't Do Much Better Than That Minnesota converted on 17 of its 18 free throw attempts (94.4 percent) in the win over Boston College . Brittany McCoy led the effort with a 6-for-6 performance. The Gophers' all-time best outing from the free throw line with one miss...21-of-22 versus Michigan State (2/24/02). Halfway There Brittany McCoy is halfway to adding the 2008-09 as her third consecutive season with 100 or more assists. Nine games into the season, McCoy has an even 50 assists averaging 5.6 dishes a game. The Gopher junior is already the only player in school history to dish out 100 or more assists as both a freshman and sophomore. McCoy's 286 career assists currently stands seventh in Minnesota history. 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 74 career games at Minnesota . To date, the Gophers' starting lineup, which does include a true freshman in Jackie Voigt, boasts 251 games of starting experience. Ohm Firing on Record Pace From Long Range Katie Ohm has been sensational from behind the arc this season. Her 33 three-point field goals in on record pace to set Minnesota 's single-season record of 73 (Lindsay Lieser, 2001-02; and Shannon Schonrock, 2004-05). Amazing, Ohm's 33 treys is more than two Big Ten teams have scored ( Illinois , 29' and Indiana , 22) and more than twice the number of every Conference player but one ( Michigan 's Carly Benson has 22). Scoring Balance Coming in Bunches Minnesota has enjoyed a lot of balance in the scoring column so far this season. Eight of the 11 active players on the Minnesota roster have scored in double figures this season. Only three freshmen, redshirt Kristen Dockery, Brianna Mastey and Nicole Mastey have yet to reach double figures in a game this season.