With the home crowd of more than 6,000 on their feet, Minnesota guard Emily Fox glanced up at the fading shot clock. Her panicked jumper swooshed through the net, sending the already raucous crowd into a frenzy and putting her team up 12 with just over five minutes left.
It was that kind of day for Fox and the Golden Gophers, as the home team used a solid 50 percent field goal percentage to beat visiting Penn State 67-50. The loss for the Lady Lions snapped a season-best three-game winning streak.
"I think we just lost control of ourselves," assistant coach Maren Walseth said on the Penn State Radio Network. "We weren't playing Penn State team basketball, and it seemed like it was just one person trying to save the day."
Unfortunately for the Lady Lions (12-5, 3-2 Big Ten), nobody swooped in to be the hero. Guard Tyra Grant led the way for the visiting team with 16 points, one of only two Lady Lions in double figures. Despite the team high in points, the junior's efforts were one-dimensional, as Grant finished with just one rebound and two assists in the loss.
And while Penn State struggled to find its superhero on the court, Minnesota used a balanced attack from its starters to control the tempo on both sides of the floor. The Golden Gophers outrebounded Penn State 39-25 and created 18 turnovers, putting constant pressure on guard Brianne O'Rourke.
That pressure appeared to get the better of O'Rourke midway through the first half. After being called with her third foul early in the contest, O'Rourke disagreed with the call, and made sure the ref knew it. Her comments earned her a technical foul, and shortly after the call she was benched.
Minnesota center Ashley Ellis-Milan loitered underneath the Lady Lions' hoop for most of the game, scoring 22 points for the Gophers and snatching a team-high nine rebounds. Her ability to penetrate Penn State's zone defense had Walseth and the other coaches taking notice.
"They have such a nice inside/outside combination," Walseth said. "Ellis-Milan would get hot, and then she would help create more offense. They are a really balanced basketball team."
Minnesota finished with four players in double figures and held a consistent double-digit lead, despite not hitting a shot from beyond the arc. Although they weren't able to find their niche from downtown, the Gophers were sent to the charity stripe 26 times, giving them plenty of opportunities to slow down Penn State's run-and-gun offense.
With Penn State shooting just 37 percent from the field, and Fox's ill-timed buckets, it was a day to forget for the Lady Lions. But despite the loss, Walseth knows that the team simply has to move on and work toward its next game on the schedule.
"We just need to finish things on the road," Walseth said. "Are there positives from this game? Sure. Did some kids do things right? Absolutely. We'll make some adjustments, and by [tomorrow] or Wednesday, we'll be ready for Purdue."
