After injuring her right elbow during Sundayís game at Purdue, Minnesota womenís basketball forward Jamie Broback is day to day, coach Pam Borton said on Tuesday.

Midway through the second half against the Boilermakers, Broback got her hand caught under a pileup for a loose ball and landed awkwardly on her elbow. She did not return to the Gophers lineup.

Broback, the Gophersí leading scorer and rebounder, was X-rayed on Monday and nothing was broken, Borton said.

ìI think she came down on her hand in the game and an opponent ran into it and twisted it a little bit and created a little discomfort,” Borton said.

It is unknown whether Broback will play in Minnesotaís next game against Ohio State on Thursday, but she had her right arm wrapped and participated in Tuesdayís practice.

ìWeíre going to take it one day at a time,” Borton said.

If Broback is unable to play Thursday, sophomore forward Natasha Williams likely will take her place in the starting lineup. Williams started when Broback took a leave of absence from the team in November.

Quick standings fall

Less than a week ago Minnesota was alongside Purdue and Ohio State atop the Big Ten standings, with just one conference loss.

Five days and two blowout road losses later, the Gophers are now fighting to stay ahead of Michigan State for third place in the conference.

ìWe have to go back to the basics,” senior guard Shannon Bolden said. ìWe have to realize that weíre still a very good team, and besides the last two games weíve been playing good basketball.”

The Gophers (17-6, 9-3 Big Ten) now have the same number of conference wins as the Spartans (19-7, 9-4 Big Ten), while the Buckeyes and Boilermakers are tied for first with 11-1 Big Ten records.

Gophers drop in polls

After dropping two road games last week, Minnesota dropped from No. 12 to No. 17 in national rankings, the lowest the Gophers have been in the polls since Nov. 22.