With just under five minutes to go and the game well in hand for the Terrapin women’s basketball team yesterday night, a sequence of sounds best served to illustrate just how frustrating the Terps had made life for their visitors.
In a matter of seconds, guard Lori Bjork deflected a Minnesota shot, center Lynetta Kizer swatted a second shot, and then the shot clock buzzer rang out like a siren, silencing what was left of the visiting Golden Gophers’ cheering section.
The Terps’ blocks were gratuitous and the shots inconsequential, but they just about summed up what was a suffocating defensive effort inside Comcast Center. Only one Minnesota player scored in double digits yesterday — forward Jackie Voigt had 10 points — and the Terps held the Golden Gophers to 27.1 percent shooting for a 66-45 victory.
“Punch for punch, blow for blow, it was just a very physical game, a game where I just thought we did a tremendous job matching it,” said coach Brenda Frese, who coached one season at Minnesota before taking the same job with the Terps in 2002. “To be able to hold a team that’s been scoring in the 70s to 45 points — I just thought collectively we did a tremendous job possession-by-possession making them have to work.”
After a 7-0 start, the paint became a black hole for the Golden Gophers. Ashley Ellis-Milan, Minnesota’s second-leading scorer and most talented forward, shot only 2-of-13 from the field in the game.
The Golden Gophers’ guards didn’t have it any easier. When the Terps’ long and athletic frontcourt couldn’t usher Minnesota drives away from the paint, it turned away layups with the swat of a hand. Golden Gopher guard Kiara Buford, the team’s leading scorer coming into the game, tallied just nine points Thursday.
“[We] did an excellent job of playing them straight up and having them go through us and make tough shots,” said Kizer, who had two of the Terps’ seven blocks Thursday night.
The Terps shot under 44 percent yesterday night, but things never got as dire for the Terps as they did for the Golden Gophers. After Katie Ohm’s 3-pointer gave Minnesota a 16-15 lead with 10:55 to go in the first half, the Golden Gophers couldn’t find the basket again for the next six minutes. During that stretch, the Terps retook the lead and built it to 10 points.
“We were probably more physical with them than any team they’ve played so far,” said Kim Rodgers, who poured in a team-high 14 points. “I don’t think they were ready for it.”
Even after halftime, the Terps’ stifling defense refused to relent. Forward Diandra Tchatchouang (13 points) and Kizer (10 points) paced the Terps right out of the gates with a 17-7 run to start the half.
“We’re still young right now, but where we want to be at is on defense,” Kizer said. “That’s where we really want to hang our hat. Being able to stop other teams — that’s just what we’re looking for.”
shaffer@umdbk.com
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