Gopher women beat up on Ohio State to win Big Ten home opener
By Frank Bi
February 23, 2012; Columbus, OH, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes guard Amber Stokes (3) tries to maintain possession under pressure from Minnesota Golden Gophers guard Rachel Banham (1) and guard/forward Kionna Kellogg (5) at Value City Arena. Mandatory Credit: Greg Bartram-USA TODAY Sports
Rachel Banham had 24 points and Micaella Riche added another 20 as the Gophers beat the Ohio State Buckeyes at Williams Arena on Thursday night, 83-74.
Minnesota scored 50 points in the first half and jumped to a 19-point lead. The Gophers also forced 17 turnovers from the Buckeye’s starting five, scoring 29 points off those turnovers.
The two teams went a combined 3-for-27 from beyond the arch but Minnesota’s superior free-throw shooting kept them ahead. The Gophers shot 33 free-throws and made 28 — the Buckeye’s went 18-of-25 from the charity stripe.
Minnesota is now 13-4 overall and 2-1 in the Big Ten. Ohio State remains winless in the conference at 0-3 and holds a 10-6 overall record.