Whalen, Gopher women winning with defense
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Lindsay Whalen knows as well as anyone that defense wins championships. It’s one of the biggest changes Whalen wanted to make when she took the job as University of Minnesota women’s basketball coach.
Last year, the Gophers finished the season ranked No. 335 out of 349 Division I teams in scoring defense. They allowed nearly 75 points per game. This year? They’re in the top 25 in the nation at 55 points per game. They’re also in the top 30 in the country in field goal percentage defense, and No. 30 in scoring margin.
“Every team I’ve been on, the team that went to the Final Four, the Lynx teams that won championships, the Olympic gold medal teams. Those teams were all marked by our defense and defensive rebounding,” Whalen said. “Here at Minnesota that’s what I want to get back to, that hard-nosed defense.”
Her senior point guard, Minneapolis native Kenisha Bell, happens to be ranked in the top 35 in the country in steals. She’s got 34 as the Gophers are off to a 12-1 start.
Bell said Wednesday the team’s defensive turnaround is all about communication on the court, and playing with energy.
“We talk way more on the court. We feel the energy from each other and as soon as we get a stop or a steal, it brings the tempo up and we know that we like to push in transition. Any deflections or steals we can get, we know we’re pushing and we feed off the energy from each other.”
The Gophers will need that defense after suffering their first loss of the season on New Year’s Eve at Michigan. Minnesota’s 76-60 loss was just the second time this season an opponent has scored 70 points or more against the Gophers.
Minnesota (12-1, 1-1) hosts Illinois Sunday afternoon. That’s followed by facing a pair of ranked opponents as the Gophers travel to No. 15 Michigan State next Wednesday and host No. 19 Iowa on Jan. 14. The Spartans will feature Hopkins graduate Nia Hollie, who has played all 11 games for Michigan State this season and is averaging 5.4 points and 3.3 rebounds per game.
It’s a stretch the Gophers are well prepared for. They had a non-conference schedule that included a win over a top-15 program in Syracuse, a win at Boston College in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge and a win at Xavier early in the season.
“This week came at a really good time for us. You never want to lose, but I feel like throughout the season we’ve been learning from our wins. It stings a little more when you lose,” Whalen said.
Minnesota has also had players step up early in the year. Annalese Lamke scored 18 points all of last season. She scored 20 alone in the Gophers’ win over Wisconsin to open Big Ten play.
Bell, a Bloomington Kennedy graduate who transferred back to Minnesota from Marquette, is leading the Gophers in scoring at 18.7 points per game and shooting 40 percent from the field.
“Those are two of our leaders. Two of our captains, our seniors. Annalese is just really, to have a low-post scorer like that that we can go to is huge for our team. She’s coming out this year and making the most of her opportunities,” Whalen said. “And having a Minnesota kid (Bell) as your senior and your leader is something that’s pretty special. She’s maybe one of the best on-ball defenders in the country. I want her to enjoy it and get the most out of it.”
The key to a successful conference season is defending your home court, and stealing a couple games on the road. They’ll gladly get defensive if it means contending for a Big Ten title and making a run in the NCAA Tournament.