Providence College Athletics
Women's Basketball Game Notes Versus #12/14 Minnesota
12/5/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 5, 2002
Women's Basketball Game Notes Versus #12/14 Minnesota
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PROVIDENCE COLLEGE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL PREVIEW
#12 University of Minnesota at Providence College Friday, December 6 at 7:30 p.m. - Alumni Hall/Mullaney Gymnasium
University of Minnesota Golden Gophers (5-0): The 12th-ranked Gophers face the Friars as they look to remain undefeated this season. In their last action, the Gophers captured the Air Force Academy Tournament Championship on November 30 by defeating Air Force, 88-75, in the tournament final. Minnesota had five players scoring in double figures led by sophomore forward/center Janel McCarville's (Stevens Point, Wis.) 19 points and nine rebounds, while senior guard Corrin Von Wald's (Hudson, Wis.) added 17 points. On the season, junior guard Lindsay Whalen (Hutchinson, Minn.) leads the Gopher offense, averaging 25.6 points per game and has registered 40 assists. The leading rebounder and shot blocker for Minnesota is McCarville with 8.4 rebounds per game and 5 blocked shots. McCarville is also averaging 10.2 points per game. She joins Whalen, Von Wald (18.4 ppg), and senior center Kim Prince (Montgomery, Ala.) (10.2 ppg) as the four Gophers averaging in double figures. Minnesota is outscoring its opponents by 24.6 points per game and is shooting 55.8% from the field. The Gophers return all five starters from last year's team who advanced to the second round of the 2002 NCAA Tournament. Minnesota head coach Pam Borton is in her first season with the Gophers. This will be the first trip to the Providence College campus for the Minnesota women's basketball program.
Providence College Friars (2-3): The Providence College women's basketball team returns home to host the 12th-ranked Gophers. The Friars were last in action on December 3 in Tuscaloosa, Ala. versus the University of Alabama and were defeated 72-56. Providence trailed by just one point at halftime but were unable to keep up with the Crimson Tide in the second half. The leading Friar scorers were sophomore guard Michal Epstein (Rehovot, Israel) and sophomore forward/center Jessica Simmonds (South Orange, N.J.) who each scored 13 points. Leading Providence on the boards was sophomore forward Gayle Nwafili (Maplewood, N.J.) with a career-high 11 rebounds. There are two Friars who are averaging double figures in scoring this season. Senior guard Brooke Freeburg (Waterford, Pa.) leads all scorers with 13.0 ppg, while Epstein is a close second with 12.0 ppg. Freeburg and Epstein also lead the team with 12 assists each. The leading rebounder for Providence is Nwafili. She is averaging 6.2 rebounds per game. The Friars and Gophers have met twice, with each team winning a game. Most recently, Providence and Minnesota met during the 1999-2000 season, with the Gophers defeating the Friars, 88-60.
