Northwestern
Minnesota
Women's Basketball Downs Minnesota, 50-44
1/21/2000 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 21, 2000
EVANSTON, Ill. - In a game that was tight throughout, the Northwestern women's basketball team made the decisive run down the stretch and defeated Minnesota, 50-44, Thursday night in Minneapolis.
The win improved NU to 6-10 overall and leveled the Wildcats' Big Ten mark at 3-3. The Gophers fell to 7-10 (1-6 Big Ten).
The first half was a sloppy affair, as Northwestern shot 24 percent while Minnesota shot 22.6 percent and both teams turned the ball over 12 times. However, the Wildcats took an 18-17 lead thanks to a 5-0 run in the final minute of the stanza that was punctuated by Emily Butler's 25-foot trey at the buzzer.
That set the tone for a fierce second half, in which neither team was able to garner a lead bigger than three points for a span of 10 minutes. That streak ended when Dana Leonard drained a three-pointer with 7:17 left to give the 'Cats a 39-35 advantage. Two minutes later, Tami Sears put NU up by six with a layup.
Minnesota tightened the screws defensively, holding Northwestern without a point for the next 3:41, but the Gophers could only score five points themselves to cut the lead to one (42-41). Finally, Leonard gave the Wildcats some room with another trey, and then 20 seconds later Butler hit a free throw to up the lead to 46-41.
Two Gopher possessions proved fruitless, and Leslie Dolland hit both ends of a 1-and-1 with 52 seconds left to make the score 48-41. A three-pointer by Minnesota's Moneeke Bowden proved to little, too late, and Butler closed out the game with a layup.
Leonard and Butler had 12 points apiece to lead the 'Cats, but it was Dolland who proved the difference. The freshman came up with all 11 of her points and nine of her 10 rebounds in the second half.
For Minnesota, Erin Olson had 11 points and was the only Gopher in double figures.
Northwestern is home on Sunday, hosting 12th-ranked Illinois at 2 p.m. in Welsh-Ryan Arena.
