B1G Game 5: Gophers Host Iowa (1-14-19)


Pam Borton was at the game. Visiting with fans in Sections 105 & 106. Maturi sits there but I didn't see her talking to him (but I was more interested in watching the game).
 

Pam Borton was at the game. Visiting with fans in Sections 105 & 106. Maturi sits there but I didn't see her talking to him (but I was more interested in watching the game).

Maturi and Borton had a long conversation with each other at half time and, as you said, with a number of fans and other people I didn't recognize.
 

Well, I stepped out at half time to walk around the arena a couple of times. So missed the interaction, but I am not surprised given she was standing around where he sits when I spotted her.
 

https://gophersports.com/documents/2019/1/14//1_14_Postgame.pdf


Minnesota Head Coach Lindsay Whalen

Opening Statement:

“We felt really good about our second quarter and just the first half in general, and the third quarter give them credit. They came out and just went on a huge run in the third and we were a little back on our heels so give them credit they in that second half. They were able to really dictate the game and get the ball where they wanted on offense.”

On what worked well defensively against Megan Gustafson in the second quarter:

“Our pressure on the perimeter. I felt like with our pressure, they weren’t able to throw it in. When they did throw it in she was pushed off the block. We went zone a little bit too, which was good but we were really aggressive in our zone in the second and the third we just didn’t have quite that same tenacity and they were able to a couple of times find her early. You go back to man and she’s tough. They figure out a way to find her on that block and then you get the point where you do have a stop and (Tania) Davis has a great game. She was probably the difference maker in the game overall.”

On switching defenses in the second half:

We went back to zone try to mix it up as a whole as much as we could after she had 13 in the first so we try to mix it up as much as we could. When they have a great player like that they make you adjust. Zone was really good for us in the second and then we start out in it in the third we had to go to man. We had to go back and forth just to see if we could what spark we could kind of find in the second half.”

On if she considered fronting Gustafson:

“I mean you front and then it feels like they going to work their way around and they have some great passers. Then there is no one if they lobbed over, so we just we try like everybody tries to make it as tough as possible on her.”


Minnesota Senior Kenisha Bell

On what it’s going to take to stop the team’s losing streak:


“We just have to play the whole 40 minutes and be ready to adjust on the fly when things aren’t going our way and just play with intensity the whole game. You can’t take plays off to do something different than we did to start.”


Iowa Head Coach Lisa Bluder

Opening Statement:


“I thought this was a really good road victory for us. Road wins are so hard to come by in the Big Ten and they’re special. They’re special when they happen. The manner in which it happened where we had a really terrible second quarter and we were able to refocus. It couldn’t get to halftime quick enough. We were able to refocus and come out positively in that third quarter on both ends—offensively and defensively. In the first half we didn’t value the ball and the second half we valued the ball. We went from 14 turnovers the first half to four the second half. For us to have 10 steals is a lot. We shot the ball well. When we shoot the ball well good things really happen. If you look at the paint points—52 to 34— high percentage shots.”

On what caused their poor play in the second quarter:

“Yeah, we kind of expected them to play zone. They went to some zone, but I don’t know if we expected the pressure in their zone. I think we got a little worried about that, but once we got control of that and just mentally refocusing sometimes and understanding triple threats and meeting your ball fakes we got our composure at half time and that helped us regroup.”

On if she lets the players talk and take leadership during halftime:

“Absolutely. The beginning of the second half us coaches meet separately from the players and I think they need that time, I think that’s valuable. Especially when you’ve got experienced players and my senior class—Hannah (Stewart), Megan (Gustafson), Tania (Davis)—that’s an experienced group so let them do their work. Tania is a point guard and she just has a good mind for the game so absolutely they have opportunity to meet with the team.”

Iowa Senior Megan Gustafson

On how she was able to overcome the physicality in the second quarter:


“I think in that second quarter they started to really focus on me because I had a lot of points in that first quarter. I was able to keep working inside and I knew that I was able to depend on my teammates doing some of the scoring, especially that in‐out game. I was able to focus on that and then focus on other areas such as rebounding and trying to block some shots. I was able to do that and then refocus and then I was able to go to work in the second half.”

On what it was like having so many family members there:

“Yeah, it’s pretty amazing. Even though I’m from Wisconsin this is actually closer to my hometown so it’s pretty special to be able to have a lot of family and friends around and especially because it’s my last time being able to play so close to them so I’m really thankful for my family and how they were able to support me tonight.”

Iowa Senior Tania Davis

On how she was able to limit turnovers and be more efficient in the second half:

“At halftime I spoke with the team in the locker room and telling them that we have 14 turnovers and that’s kind of uncharacteristic of us to have 14 turnovers in one half. 14 turnovers for a game yeah, okay, but a half? We know that we’re better than that. We know that we just have to be stronger with the ball. We know that their pressure defense is something that we’ve seen before—in Florida State, in West Virginia, in Notre Dame. So I just let them know and instill confidence in them that we were very well prepared for their defense and just be strong with the ball, meet our passes, and just be smart and be patient.”
 



Like most Gopher fans, I felt good going into halftime. I thought Bello had a good game and Bell was solid also. Not much from Brunson tonight. And Lamke couldn't defend Gustafson, as is to be expected against one of the best players in the country. One bench point for the Gophers tonight. Like others have said, we have to live with what we have and I don't expect the contributions from the bench to get better as the season goes along. After seeing most of the BIG teams in conference play at least 3 or 4 times now, I'll be surprised if the Gophers can finish .500 in conference play this year. They just don't have the shooters or the depth. And teams I expected to finish below the Gophers, including Rutgers, Indiana, and Purdue, are better than I thought they'd be and those teams are all better than the Gophers are.
 

Well, in the post game quotes, Whalen said she thought Davis was probably the difference maker.

Brunson should be mortified that a point guard who is half a foot shorter than her, slower than her and playing on knees held together with duct tape scored seven times as many points as her, slicing through the zone at will.
 




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