Minn. greets fast-paced Air Force

Minnesota will look to bounce back from its loss to No. 1 Baylor.


Published: 2011-12-07

Adam Richard arichard@mndaily.com


The Gophers host Air Force on Wednesday night at Williams Arena at 7 p.m. and will look to bounce back against the Falcons after losing Sunday to No. 1 Baylor.

Air Force and Minnesota have identical records of 4-5. The Falcons most recently lost to South Florida, a team the Gophers lost to Nov. 13.

Head coach Pam Borton said she believes the Gophers are primed to succeed after some early season struggles.

“Playing the second half with a lot more confidence and aggression against Baylor — I think we ended the game feeling better about ourselves as a team,” Borton said. “It probably took us a little too long to get there.”

Minnesota’s two-headed guard attack of freshman Rachel Banham and senior Kiara Buford has emerged as a consistent force on offense.

The two guards have combined to average 25 points, nine rebounds, six assists and four steals a game. Buford is the captain of the young Minnesota team.

“I have a great feeling about this team, especially talent-wise,” Buford said. “I think we’re still learning, we’re still trying to find the gel we need as a team.”

The Gophers’ defense has been a constant nuisance to its opponents this season. It has generated 19 turnovers and 10 steals per game.

Minnesota will likely focus its defensive effort on Air Force guard Alicia Leipprandt, who scored 32 points on 11-for-18 shooting against South Florida. She’s averaged more than 18 points per game on the season.

“She’s a great player, definitely a player that can play in our league,” Borton said. “She’s a prolific scorer, she’s got a great pull-up [jump shot] and can get to the rim.”

Air Force plays with an up-tempo style.

Borton said Air Force is an aggressive team and that she expects a series of defensive traps and pressure from the Falcons.

“It’s going to be 40 minutes of full-court pressure, run-and-jump defense, and they are very good at it,” Borton said.

Gophers post players Katie Loberg and Micaella Riche were ineffective against Baylor. Loberg made only one of her six shots and Riche didn’t make a single shot in seven attempts. The post play will have to improve for the Gophers to succeed this season.

“We just need to produce more because the guards do a really good job,” Riche said. “Pressuring the ball, rebounding, scoring — in general we need to step up our game. It’s just a question about being tougher.”

The two teams haven’t played since 2002, when the Gophers won 88-75 with strong performances from Lindsay Whalen and Janel McCarville.



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