A solid effort simply wasn’t quite enough for the Minnesota women’s basketball team as they came up short against No. 9 Xavier in the final round of the Junkanoo Jam Tournament, losing 71-56.
Despite having to settle for silver in the Bahamas tournament, the Gophers can take several positives away from the game. Xavier was the only ranked team Minnesota had faced so far this season, and they had several times when they outplayed the Musketeers. The Gophers led for most of the first half thanks to a steady defense. Even when Xavier’s offense began clicking in the second half, Minnesota mounted a comeback, closing to within five points mid-way through the second half.
The Gophers were led once again by Jackie Voigt who finished the game with 13 points and was named to the all-tournament team. Minnesota also received solid performances from Ashley Ellis-Milan who finished with 14 points, and Leah Cotton who came off the bench to score 10.