BLOOMINGTON (AP) – Lindsay Whalen was frustrated sitting on the bench during the first half yesterday.
She made sure she took advantage of her second chance.
Whalen scored 27 points, including the last nine for her team, as the (No. 16 ESPN/USA Today, No. 15 AP) Gophers overcame foul trouble and a strong Indiana defense for a 59-56 win.
“It was frustrating because I wanted to be able to help our team,” Whalen said. “(Assistant) Coach (Danielle) O’Banion said this game is all about the second half.”
Whalen was too much for the Hoosiers (9-11, 2-8 Big Ten), who lost their seventh straight and missed an opportunity to send the game into overtime at the buzzer.
She scored 10 of the Gophers’ first 15 points before drawing her second foul 11:17 into the game.
When she finally returned to start the second half, Whalen and Janel McCarville, who missed the last six minutes of the first half because of foul trouble, combined for 10 straight points to give Minnesota a 37-31 lead. McCarville finished with 12 points and 14 rebounds, tying her season-high.
Penn State 64, Michigan State 60: Jess Strom scored 19 points and Tanisha Wright and Jennifer Brenden each added 12 as (No. 14 ESPN/USA Today, No. 13 AP) Penn State defeated Michigan State 64-60.
Penn State (20-5, 10-1 Big Ten) held off a late Spartans run to secure the victory. Strom hit six-straight free throws down the stretch.
Kelli Roehrig, Liz Shimek and Syreeta Bromfield each scored 14 points for Michigan State (13-8, 6-4). Shimek added a game-high 11 rebounds.
Despite holding Penn State star Kelly Mazzante, the nation’s third-leading scorer at 25.7 points a game, to a season-low eight points on 4-of-15 shooting, the Spartans could not overcome the Nittany Lions’ balanced attack. Mazzante’s previous low mark was 13 points against Louisiana State and Michigan.
Michigan State led 29-26 at halftime.
Ohio State 63, Wisconsin 40: Caity Matter scored 14 of her 17 points in the second half to lead No. 25 Ohio State to a 63-40 victory over Wisconsin yesterday.
Courtney Coleman added 16 points and nine rebounds for the Buckeyes (17-5, 8-3 Big Ten), who held the Badgers (6-16, 4-7) to 36 percent shooting and a season-low for points.
Emily Ashbaugh led Wisconsin with 11 points. Matter scored eight straight points in a two-minute stretch midway through the second half, putting the Badgers away after they pulled to 42-33.
Matter started her run with a layup, then hit two straight 3-pointers to give the Buckeyes a 17-point lead with 8:15 to play. Wisconsin never got closer than 16 points after that.