Gophers Hold Spartans Scoreless in Last 7:30, Win 60-44

Gophers Shut Down Spartans   Gopher freshman Kiara Buford hit a trio of huge second-half three-point field goals and credit the Minnesota defense with a masterful performance as Minnesota scored a 60-44 victory over Michigan State on Monday. The Golden Gophers remain undefeated in Big Ten play at home at 5-0 and improved to 15-6 overall and 7-3 in Conference play.   Buford finished with 16 points,11 of them coming in the second half, and a career-best four three-point field goals. Ashley Ellis-Milan led the Gophers with 17 points, but her defense was even more impactful. Ellis-Milan teamed with Zoe Harper to hold Michigan State standout Allyssa DeHaan to just two points and a 0-9 shooting night.   The Gophers broke out of a 44-44 tie to outscore Michigan State 16-0 in the last 7:30 of the game. The Spartans went an ice-cold 0-10 from the floor and turned the ball over six times. Meanwhile, Buford canned three arching trifectas to give the ailing Gopher offense the boost it was looking for. Buford's triple at the 6:21 mark gave Minnesota a 47-44 lead and her next trey at the 5:55 mark solidified the momentum in the Gophers' favor.   Ellis-Milan continued to make her mark in the paint in Big Ten play. The Gopher junior battled foul trouble all night, but still managed to come up with the big plays. Ellis-Milan played aggressively and earned 10 trips to the free throw line, making nine, because of it. Harper led the Gophers in rebounding with seven caroms.   Minnesota 's defense challenged the Spartans with tight pressure and forced 25 turnovers in the game. The Gophers took advantage of the Spartan miscues to tally a difference-making 20 points off turnovers. Michigan State on the other hand, scored just two points off of Minnesota 's 15 points.   After shooting a woeful 18.5 percent (5-27) in the first half, perhaps the biggest shot all night came from senior Emily Fox, who opened the second half with a three-pointer from the top of the key. Minnesota then added back-to-back three-point plays, from Brittany McCoy and Ellis-Milan to erase the halftime deficit. The Gophers shot 48 percent (12-25) in the second half.   McCoy contributed one of her finest all-around games of the season, scoring nine points, pulling down six rebounds, dishing out five assists and grabbing three steals. Fox scored all 10 of her points in the second half.   The first half was one of two runs, one by each team. The Gophers used a 13-9 and a 9-for-9 performance from the free throw line to take an 18-9 lead with 10:01 to play. The Spartans owned the rest of the half, outscoring Minnesota by a 20-3 margin to take a 29-21 lead at halftime.   Minnesota 's next game is Thursday, Feb. 5 at Penn State .   - UM -