NEW ORLEANS -- Fearless and focused, Lindsay Whalen led
Minnesota to new heights this year, breaking records along the way
and closing out her stellar career on college basketball's biggest
stage -- the Final Four.
Whalen and her teammates lost 67-58 to two-time defending
champion Connecticut on Sunday, falling short in their bid to win
the school's first NCAA title.
But what a ride it has been for Golden Gopher fans who saw their
team in the Final Four for the first time.
Hundreds of Minnesota fans helped pack the 18,000-seat New
Orleans arena to root on the gutsy guard from Hutchinson, Minn. She
scored 11 points and had seven assists in her final game. Whalen
broke the Minnesota scoring record this season and finished her
career with 2,285 points, more than any man or woman in a Golden
Gopher uniform.
"It's been a great run," Whalen said. "I've truly enjoyed
everything that we have had here at Minnesota and everything we
have done, especially this year."
Seeded seventh in the NCAA tournament, Minnesota knocked off No.
1 seeded Duke and No. 2 seeded Kansas to reach New Orleans. It was
very different from Whalen's first year when Minnesota won just
eight games. She's also had three coaches and her current coach,
Pam Borton, appreciates everything Whalen has done.
"Her contributions have been unbelievable. She has kind of put
the program on the map," Borton said. "She's been a ring leader
in keeping the team together with all the changes."
Whalen broke her hand late in the season and missed seven games.
Gritty as ever, she came back strong from the injury, never missing
a beat. She gave opponents fits, right down to the last game. The
Huskies used a series of defenders to try and neutralize Whalen on
Sunday.
"We knew that was something we had to do because once she gets
going and gets in control of the game, then you're in trouble,"
UConn guard Ann Strother said. "That was the main goal to keep the
ball out of her hands as much as we could."
Her 8-20 freshman season long behind her, Whalen leaves with a
record of 78-43 and the program on solid ground.
"We can definitely take pride in the fact that we hopefully
left our mark here and have established Minnesota as a winning
tradition and a great women's basketball program," Whalen said.