Deja Winters and Sara Scalia combined for 53 of the Gophers 78 points, but it was not enough in a 88-78 loss to No. 25 Iowa.

20 days since the Gophers suffered a 56-point loss at home to Iowa, they had a chance to get revenge on the Hawkeyes this time on the road.

After trying different starting lineups since the departure of Jasmine Powell, it seems as if the Gophers have settled on a unit, as they opted to deploy the same starting five as Sunday’s win over Michigan State.

After quickly falling down 10-2 to start the game, the Gophers replaced Alanna Micheaux and Laura Bagwell-Katalinich with Kadi Sissoko and Bailey Helgren in hopes of turning things around.

The move paid off for Minnesota, Helgren and Sissoko’s six combined rebounds settled things down and narrowed Iowa’s lead to 27-21 after 10 minutes of play.

Veteran guard Sara Scalia turned it on in quarter number two, recording a team-high 10 points. Right when it looked like Iowa would break the game open, the Gophers responded and carried a 42-37 deficit into halftime.

It looked like it was setting up to be a battle between two of the best guards in the Big Ten, as Iowa’s top scorer Caitlin Clark had a game-high 13 points at the break.

Deja Winters came out of the locker room with something to prove for the Gophers. After a scorching hot 13 points in the third quarter, she had played Minnesota right back into the game trailing 62-61.

Minnesota and Winter’s luck ran out there. Despite 12 more points from the graduate student guard, the Gophers were outscored 26-17 in the final 10 minutes thanks to eight of 12 shooting from Iowa.

All-American Iowa guard Caitlin Clark led the Hawkeyes with 32 points, en route to a 88-78 victory and a season sweep over the Gophers.

Points in the paint continued to be an issue for the Gophers. A 42-22 difference in Iowa’s favor is way too much for any team to overcome.

Minnesota will have a quick turnaround, taking on Northwestern in only two days on Feb. 11 at Williams Arena, in a game that was rescheduled due to a postponement earlier in the season.