Made the trek over to Williams Arena on this Friday night in the midst of March Madness to catch this WNIT first round matchup between host Minnesota and visiting Ball State. The Gophers, who just missed a trip to the Big Dance (they should be in, IMHO) would be heavily favored in this game against Ball State as the Cardinals had a very up-and-down year; sporting a 15-15 record. At the same time, however, in order to make the most of this opportunity, the Gophers simply could not afford to overlook anybody as the simple truth of the matter is that you've got to be ready to go at this time of the year because it's a one-and-done deal and if you have one bad night, you're going home. And, on this night, they would find out the hard way that you have to come out with full intensity and a sense of urgency on the opening tip-off.
The first two minutes of the first half did not go well for the home team. Treys from Cardinal junior Brandy Woody and sophomore Brittany Carter plus a score in the paint by junior Katie Murphy had Ball State up 8-0 before the Gophers knew what hit them. A "3" by Carter at the 15:23 mark pushed the Cardinal lead to 11-0 before Minnesota's Kiona Kellogg finally got the Gophers on the scoreboard at the 14:04 mark. But the Gophers would struggle mightily over the next seven minutes in trying to put the ball into the cylinder as Ball State would retain the lead at 16-8 with 7:56 left. The good news for Minnesota, though, was that their defensive pressure was not allowing Ball State to open up a sizable lead that would have them in an incredibly tough spot. The Gophers were also getting the better of it on the glass but this opportunistic Ball State squad still was managing to keep the Gophers at bay as they held a 22-12 advantage with 3:42 left in the first half. A "3" from Woody from the left wing with 2:20 left stretched the Ball State advantage to 25-14 and the Cardinals would keep that double-digit advantage at 27-17 going into the locker room at halftime thanks to a drive and finish by Carter with :07 left (just as the shot clock was expiring). Clearly the Gophers had their work cut out for them in the second half if they were to keep the 2012-13 season going. The halftime stat sheet had all the ugly numbers: 21.2% FG shooting; 1-8 from three-point land for a miserable 12.5% - and ten turnovers to boot. The Gophers did indeed have the advantage on the boards at 25-21 (including a 10-5 advantage in offensive rebounds) but they sure weren't able to take advantage of all those extra rebounds. Woody paced the Cardinal attack with 11 points while sophomore Rachel Banham was leading Minnesota with 8 1st half points.
The Gophers hoped to get right back into the thick of things after an early second half score by Kellogg and indeed, the Gophers would make some inroads on the Ball State lead. Two charity stripe shots by freshman Shayne Mullaney with 13:00 left and then a tough score inside by strong junior post Micaella Riche cut the Cardinal lead to a somewhat more manageable 34-27 count but Ball State would strike right back as a drive and finish by Woody that got her fouled in the process along with the obligatory free throw upped the Cardinal lead to 40-27 with 11:20 left. Two treys by lanky junior forward Lyzz Smith - at the 10:14 and 7:51 marks - allowed Ball State to maintain that double-digit advantage at 46-35. A jumper by Woody with 6:56 left along with a "3" by senior Shanee Jackson with 6:12 left made it a 51-35 game and all hope appeared lost for the Gophers. But this Minnesota team knows a few things about comeback victories as they had to fight off a double-digit hole to overcome Creighton earlier in the season. And this group showed that they had one more run left in them. A "3" by junior guard Sari Noga with 5:37 left commenced this unlikely comeback bid by the Gophers. Then it was Riche's time to shine as she had a monster second half for the Gophers. Two scores in the paint - at the 5:10 and 3:51 marks - helped slice the deficit back into single digits and another "3" by Noga - this one from the left top area with 2:58 left - suddenly had the Gophers to within six at 51-45. A harrassing Minnesota defense was giving the Cardinals fits handling the ball and this gave the Gophers even more opportunities. Two freebies by Riche with 2:13 left and a short jumper with just 1:11 left had the Gophers within a possession at 51-49. Alas, Minnesota could get no closer. Junior forward Katie Murphy connected with a huge jumper for Ball State with :53 left. A jumper in the paint by Banham once again cut it to a single-possession game at 53-51 and after a turnover by Ball State, the Gophers had their chance with :16 left as they brought the ball up the court. A screen allowed Banham to get the ball - and get a good look behind the arc but her three-point attempt bounced off the rim and into the waiting hands of Ball State's Woody where she was immediately fouled with just :04 left. Woody made the front end at the charity stripe but missed the back end and Banham was there for the rebound. She made a few strides up the floor and let loose with a heave and a prayer from just behind the half-court line that missed its mark and allowed Ball State to escape with a narrow 54-51 win at the Barn. Woody led all scorers with 19 points while Riche was right behind for Minnesota with her 18 points and 8 rebounds.
Afterward, elated Ball State Head Coach Brady Sallee talked about his team's composure coming down the stretch when Minnesota made its run. "We didn't come into this tournament just to be a participant" he stated. And no doubt about it - Sallee believes this win tonight is a huge one for his program - and for the Mid-American Conference as well. A subdued Minnesota Head Coach Pam Borton was short and to the point. "Definitely a step backward" she explained as she pointed out the turnovers and missed shots that hurt. At this point it's difficult to say with any exact certainty where the Gophers go from here. They need to find consistency and, perhaps just as important, they need to have that passion and sense of urgency out there and I didn't see it at all times tonight.
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