Continued: Buford’s one shot proves to be a big one in Gophers victory

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Four Big Ten games into her career, Gophers guard Kiara Buford is already developing a reputation.

Because of it, the Gophers women's basketball team survived back-to-back harrowing finishes -- the latest a 70-62 victory over Indiana on Thursday night at Williams Arena -- and emerged from a critical stretch 3-1 in conference play.

Buford's clutch, late three-pointer helped the Gophers win at Illinois on Saturday. Against Indiana, she made only one basket all night, but it was another cool-under-pressure three, this time to extend her team's lead to 62-58 with 4 minutes, 12 seconds left at a time when Indiana seemed on the verge of tilting the game in its favor.

"I felt I was struggling a little in the first half and the beginning of the second half," said Buford, a freshman from St. Paul Central. "Coach just told me I needed to play. When ball came my way, I had to snap out of it."

Buford pumped her first, and Minnesota's lead was never less than three points the rest of the way. But she had plenty of help as the Gophers emerged from an offensive funk that saw them score 55 points or fewer in four of their previous five games.

Ashley Ellis-Milan had a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Emily Fox (15 points) and Brittany McCoy (10 points) each scored in double figures, dished out seven assists apiece and were the primary ballhandlers on a night when the Gophers had only nine turnovers.

"We're a tough team to beat when Brittany is in the scoring column," Gophers coach Pam Borton said.

Indiana came in 3-0 in Big Ten play, an early surprise in the conference. Because these teams face each other only once during the regular season -- Wisconsin is the only other Big Ten team Minnesota doesn't play twice -- the game had extra significance. A sequence late in the game underscored how important it was to the Hoosiers.

With the Gophers up 65-62, McCoy was fouled going to the basket with the shot clock winding down and 24.9 seconds left in the game. Indiana coach Felisha Legette-Jack, who had been riding referees for much of the second half, picked up a technical foul after the call. Fox made both technical free throws to help ice the game.

"I feel like I let the team down," Legette-Jack said.

The Gophers, who play three of their next four on the road, said they believed they gained maturity by winning another close game.

"You need to know what to do in specific situations," McCoy said. "These last two games have been a really good learning experience for us."

McCoy, Fox and Katie Ohm hit three-pointers before the first media timeout, pushing the Gophers out to an early 11-5 lead. They extended to a 22-13 edge thanks to some nice inside work by Ellis-Milan and led by five at the break.

Indiana's strong ball pressure kept the heat on the Gophers, but the Hoosiers never took a lead in the second half. They had it down to a one-point deficit four times in the last 11 minutes.

The final time, Jamie Braun missed a short shot for the lead, the Gophers came downcourt, Fox found Buford, and a reputation continued to grow.

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