The Gophers competed in their last few games of the season last week, sending off their seniors with a home win to remember against the Purdue Boilermakers.
After winning big at home against Nebraska, the Gophers dropped two on the road before concluding their season with a win against the No. 7 team in the Big Ten. Along with the win, the Gophers celebrated senior day and 50 years of the University of Minnesota’s women’s basketball program.
Feb. 22 vs. Michigan State
After falling to Northwestern, the Gophers prepared for their final road matchup of the season in East Lansing against Michigan State.
A hard fought game between the Gophers and the Spartans ultimately ended in a Michigan State victory, with a final score of 71-67. Freshman Mara Braun led the Gophers with 17 points and 4 assists, and the Spartans were led by graduate student Kamaria McDaniel with 15 points and 3 assists.
The Gophers quickly started the game with a 12-point deficit in the first quarter, their largest of the night.
Minnesota started to put up a fight in the next quarter as they outscored Michigan State 23-16. The Gophers were able to come from behind to tie the game at 23 when Mi’Cole Cayton added a pivotal bucket from beyond the 3-point line. The Spartans ended the quarter on top 33-30.
The third quarter saw graduate student Isabelle Gradwell hitting a 3-pointer to give the Gophers a 43-41 lead. Michigan State responded by going on a 10-2 run to take the lead into the final 10 minutes of play.
Redshirt freshman Katie Borowicz made a big-time 3 of her own, bringing the Gophers deficit within 2 midway through the fourth quarter. The Spartans scored 7 of the last 11 points to come out on top 71-67.
As a team, the Gophers hit a season high in 3-pointers (11), but a 44-40 deficit in total rebounds loomed large.
Feb. 26 vs. Purdue
After losing to Michigan State on the road, the Gophers came back home for their final game of the season against Purdue.
The first few minutes of the game were a back and forth battle. Minnesota led 10-9 going into the first media timeout and closed out the quarter playing some of their best ball of the season, leading 20-15 after 10 minutes of play.
The Gophers continued to build their lead in the second quarter, ending the half with a 41-30 lead over the Boilermakers, thanks to a balanced attack with five different players contributing at least 5 points.
It wasn’t until the third quarter when the Maroon & Gold started to lose momentum. A 10-point run for Purdue brought the score within 1 midway through the third quarter. The Boilermakers eventually took over the lead when senior Abbey Ellis drove to the paint for a timely layup.
Purdue’s momentum allowed them to take a 3-point lead heading into the fourth quarter. Graduate student Lasha Petree hit a big-time layup, giving Purdue the first few points of the final quarter. The Gophers refused to let that tank them, as they exploded on a 7-point run capped off by Mara Braun hitting a 3 with 2:02 left to play.
The confidence from the scoring run was enough to bring the Gophers a 77-69 victory.
“We’re starting to see what we can do to pour into each other when we continue to take different things that we’re talking about from practice and we do it together,” Head Coach Lindsay Whalen said. “They’ve got a chance to be a really special group moving forward.”
The Gophers are slated to open the Big Ten Tournament at the Target Center in Minneapolis. The first game will tip-off at 1 p.m. with Minnesota taking on Penn State, a team they’ve already faced and won against twice this season.
“We never go into a game underestimating anybody, because anything can happen, it doesn’t matter underdog or not,” Gophers sophomore Alanna ‘Rose’ Michaeux said. “Anybody can win, anything can happen in a game, so that’s why our mentality is to just go in there and do what we do best.”
The Gophers concluded their regular season with an overall record of 11-18, finishing 12th in the Big Ten Conference.
