MINNEAPOLIS -- The Williams Arena was buzzing as the No. 3 seed University of Minnesota Golden Gophers jogged onto the court for their warm-ups. Ten thousand-plus fans clad in maroon and gold made their way through the frigid temperatures to pack this 77-year-old arena, which has the feel of a classic Midwestern barn, reminding one of the final scenes of the movie Hoosiers. A trip to Tempe, Ariz. and a spot in the Sweet Sixteen was at stake as the Golden Gophers, who reached the Final Four last year, only had to dispatch the No. 6 seed Virginia Cavaliers to punch their ticket west.
Virginia, coming off Saturday's 79-57 victory over Old Dominion, had other ideas. With the goal of wearing down the Gophers with their athleticism and transition game, the Cavaliers looked to advance to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 2000.
The Cavaliers hung tough in the first half, but eventually acquiesced to the Gophers and their raucous crowd, 73-58. Virginia finished the season with a 21-11 record.
The game started off as a defensive war of attrition. The Cavaliers gained their first lead, 7-5, with a fast-break lay-up by senior Brandi Teamer off an assist from freshman guard Sharnee Zoll, at the 14:52 mark.
Senior forward Jocelyn Logan-Friend set the tone for Virginia's defense with a game-opening block in the lane of Minnesota guard April Calhoun's lay-up attempt.
Zoll finished the game with a career-high 20 points. She dished out five assists and hit two three-pointers. She also made several acrobatic lay-ups in the lane.
"I guess I played well but not well enough," Zoll said. "I have teammates in the locker room crying so I didn't play well enough."
Virginia's largest lead came with 13:19 left in the first-half. Zoll found sophomore guard Brenna McGuire open behind the arc on the left side. McGuire drained the trey to extend Virginia's lead to 14-7.
Virginia's fortunes began to take a turn south around the 11 minute mark. Senior forward Kate Kreager air-balled a three-point attempt, and the Gophers started to slowly cut into the Cavaliers' lead.
Minnesota went on a 13-1 run from the 8:31 mark to the 2:35 mark. Junior guard Shannon Schonrock scored eight first-half points, including two three-pointers to fuel the Gophers. Virginia lost the lead for good with 6:01 remaining in the half when Kelly Roysland knocked down both of her free-throws after being fouled by Tiffany Sardin. Minnesota entered halftime with a 34-28 lead.
The Gophers came out of halftime firing on all cylinders. The Cavaliers tried to keep pace behind the spectacular play of Zoll and senior guard Latonya Blue. However, Virginia could not overcome the lack of a strong post presence in tonight's game. Teamer and Logan-Friend combined for only six points. In stark contrast, Minnesota forward Jamie Broback dropped 23 points on the Cavaliers. Center Janel McCarville added ten points for the Gophers and forward Shannon Bolden contributed 15 points.
"We weren't as strong in the post as we normally are, and we really rely on our post game," Ryan said.
Blue, who was blindsided by a pick set by McCarville early in the second half, was too overcome with emotion to speak at the post-game press conference. The loss marked the end of Blue's and four other senior's careers as Cavaliers. It was touching to see Zoll, a key to Virginia's future, consoling a player who has meant so much to the Cavaliers' success over the past four years.
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