MINNEAPOLIS -- The Minnesota women's basketball team can thank the school's architecture department for Corrin Von Wald.

As she prepared to leave Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2000, Von Wald narrowed her transfer choices to Arizona State and Minnesota. While ASU might have looked more attractive compared with the Gophers' lack of success in recent seasons, Von Wald chose Minnesota.

The reason?

"They had a great architecture program,'' she said.

Lucky for the Gophers.

Von Wald left Milwaukee after having too many run-ins with her coach. She wanted to come to a team where she would fit in, she said. Turns out, the Gophers had the perfect place for her.

Now a senior, Von Wald has played one of the biggest roles in helping turn around what had been one of the worst women's college basketball programs in the country.

Most people think about point guard Lindsay Whalen or center Janel McCarville when talking about the Golden Gophers (No. 14 ESPN/USA Today; No. 13 AP). But Von Wald, who was voted to the All-Big Ten third team on Tuesday, has arguably been their most consistent player and their best defender this season.

"I think she's one of the most underrated players I've ever coached,'' Minnesota coach Pam Borton said. "She does everything. She doesn't just score, she plays great defense, she steals, she defends the best offensive player on the other team.''

After building a reputation on defense last season, Von Wald made an effort to become more offensive-minded.

Last season, Von Wald notched a career-high 19 points against Illinois. This year, she's topped that mark eight times and is averaging 15.1 points per game. She set her new career-high Feb. 13 at Northwestern with 27 points.

"I wanted to add to my game ... and just be more of an offensive threat and take the pressure off (McCarville and Whalen),'' she said.

Her biggest offensive contribution has come from the perimeter, where she's shooting a Big Ten-best 61.7 percent from behind the 3-point arc. She made a school record 11 straight 3-pointers during one stretch.

And even with her concentration on offense, her defense hasn't let up. Von Wald is among the Big Ten leaders with 2.8 steals per game and her quickness has been vital when Borton rotates her man-to-man and zone defenses.

Von Wald held Ohio State's Caity Matter to a season-low three points on Feb. 16. Then, a week later, she held Penn State's Kelly Mazzante, the Big Ten's leading scorer and Player of the Year, to 11 points -- 13 below her average.

"She does a lot for us,'' said Whalen, who has found it easier to penetrate the lane now that opposing defenses are worrying about Von Wald's 3-point accuracy.

Although her stay at Minnesota has been brief, Von Wald, who sat out the 2000-01 season, said she doesn't wish she had started her career with the Gophers. If she had, she would have played her fourth season last year and would already be done with her career.

"I wish had one more year. I wish I could go out with (this year's) junior class,'' she said.

Instead, she'll graduate in May with her architecture degree. After that, she's not sure what her plans are. She said it still hasn't sunk in that she played her final game at Williams Arena last week.

"My mom was kinda teary-eyed there, so I think it was more of a reality shock for her than for myself,'' she said.

But for now, Von Wald still has this week's Big Ten tournament to look forward to and a second straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

"I told my parents when I first came here about the talent that we have here and I how I couldn't understand why the program was so down. I think it just goes to show what a good coaching staff can do,'' Von Wald said.

"I think we tend to make each other better.''