Gophers women’s basketball suffered their ninth loss of the season on Wednesday after losing three of their last four games.
With Minnesota’s 72-62 loss against the University of Washington, the Gophers now sit at No. 12 in the Big Ten before heading to play Michigan State. Regardless of the outcome, the Gophers will qualify for the tournament but could drop to No. 13 in the conference.
The Gophers gained a 12-point lead early, but Washington fought back and entered halftime tied at 33.
Graduate student Annika Stewart and sophomore Grace Grocholski led the Gophers in scoring with 13 points each.
Despite leading the team in scoring at the half, junior Amaya Battle went scoreless in the second half.
Washington’s success came from their 3-point shooting. The Huskies made 50% of their 3-point shots, well above their 37% season average.
The Gophers had no answer for Washington guard Elle Ladine, who finished with 26 points going 10/13 from the field.
With seven minutes left in the fourth quarter, Washington had its largest lead of 17 points, but the Gophers made a strong run and brought the game to 60-65.
Head coach Dawn Plitzuweit emphasized the importance of effort for the final two games before facing Washington.
“I thought we played with really good urgency throughout the Purdue game,” Plizuweit said. “All we can control right now is what we do moving forward.”
After losing to now No. 12 ranked Ohio State University and the University of Oregon, the Gophers defeated Purdue University in a strong win.
Junior Mallory Heyer spoke about the importance of ball control after Purdue scored 12 points off Gopher turnovers.
“As a team, we’ve really been focusing on just taking care of the ball and being smart with that,” Heyer said.
Typically, the Gophers only have a few days rest between games, but they had a week of preparation against Washington.
Against Washington, the Gophers gave up just six points on turnovers.
Heyer grabbed 10 rebounds against Purdue and eight against Washington. She leads the team in rebounds this season and has five double-doubles.
“She’s demanding the ball, and then when she catches the ball down there and draws a lot of attention, it opens the floor for the rest of us,” Grocholski said in a Friday press conference.
Grocholski tied her career high with 27 points against Purdue. Senior Sophie Hart also set her career high in points with 22 against Purdue.
Hart, Grocholski and Battle combined for 60 points, accounting for 81% of the Gophers’ total.
In the Purdue game, the Gophers bench only contributed three points. That was fixed in the Washington game when the bench scored 20 points.
Plizuweit complimented Grocholski’s playmaking skills over the season during a Friday press conference.
“Grace has a very high level of awareness,” Plizuweit said. “Her basketball IQ is really high, but I think she also has a high level of confidence.”
In a game against now-ranked No. 12 Ohio State on Feb. 13, Grocholski hit a three-pointer to send the game into overtime, but the Gophers fell short, losing 84-87. Their last four losses were within ten points.
The Gophers will play their final game against Michigan State in East Lansing, MI., before March Madness. Michigan State has won six of their last 10 meetings with the Gophers.
Grocholski spoke about the team’s attitude as the season winds down and Selection Sunday looms.
“Go into every game, try to get a win, work hard and try to get better for that potential later in the tournament,” Grocholski said.
