Potthoff, Calhoun enjoy extra play

By BRAD YOUNG
Collegian Sports Writer

For women's basketball forward Angie Potthoff, the Lady Lions' two weekend wins were a rejuvenation. For teammate Kim Calhoun, they were an elevation.

In the No. 11 Lady Lions' victories over Iowa Friday and Minnesota yesterday, Potthoff emerged from a bout with exhaustion. In limited action over the weekend, she demonstrated the abilities she had before her tired body shut down during an Indiana road trip two weeks ago.

At the same time, co-captain Calhoun rose from a season-long plague of injuries and lack of aggressiveness to become a presence in the paint at both ends of the floor.

"I'm becoming more confident and I'm starting to play a lot harder," Calhoun said Friday after racking up 10 points, five rebounds and five blocked shots against Iowa. "At the beginning of the season, I wasn't playing as hard."

Part of the reason for Calhoun's lackluster effort was a frustrating foot injury that hampered her throughout January. The injury cost Calhoun her starting spot.

"At the start of the season, the team elected her captain and everything was very positive," Lady Lion Coach Rene Portland said. "And then we ran into that spell where she lost her spot because she got injured, which was a real tough time of year for her, and we weren't getting anything out of her."

In yesterday's 87-73 triumph over the Golden Gophers, Calhoun proved those days have passed. She shot 7-for-10 from the floor and 6-for-6 from the free-throw line in tallying a career-high 20 points. She also had nine rebounds and swatted four Minnesota shots.

But Calhoun knows she can do better.

"I still have a lot more work to do," she said. "I'm just working it steadily, trying to get my game together."

The same can be said for Potthoff. Her 17 points in 17 minutes yesterday and her 10 points and seven boards in the 73-62 Iowa win showed that her game didn't totally leave her when her stamina did. But her nine fouls in two games -- and the absence of her usual quickness -- showed that her stamina is yet to totally return.

"Her legs are her problem now, she's just out of shape," Portland said. "Knock on wood, the last couple of days heve been very positive for her."