Just one night after the Minnesota Gophers men’s basketball team made headlines for their takedown of No. 10 Michigan State, the women’s team delivered an upset of their own.

On Thursday evening in Iowa City, the Gophers women’s basketball team knocked down the No. 10 Iowa Hawkeyes, securing one of the most significant wins in recent program history.

The win marked the first time the Gophers beat the Hawkeyes since the 2018 Big Ten Tournament and it pushed their win streak to a season high of five games. The 91-85 win stands out as one of the most complete performances of the Dawn Plitzuweit era, improving their record to 17-6 on the season.

Standout Performances

Junior Grace Grocholski once again led the charge. The team’s leading scorer this season earned 21 points off of 14 shots, making it an efficient night, supported by her zero turnovers.

Redshirt junior Mara Braun continued her hot stretch as well. She scored 16 points and made all four of her attempts at the three. Senior Amaya Battle chipped in 12 points and a total of 14 rebounds for the double-double.

Game Changer

The game didn’t start smoothly for the Gophers. Iowa jumped out to a 14-6 lead just four minutes into the game, feeding off of their home crowd. That quickly changed.

A 3- pointer from Mara Braun ignited a Minnesota run, and by the end of the first quarter, they had clawed back, trailing by just one point. From there, every Iowa push was met with an answer from Minnesota, until Minnesota shifted the momentum entirely.

With the score tied at 27, Grocholski buried a three that would give Minnesota the lead for good. From there, they’d add on, carrying a ten point lead into half time.

The Gophers refused to let up in the second half, stretching their lead 72-55 before heading into the final quarter. Iowa made a late push, but Minnesota’s defense held their own as they closed out the upset on the road.

Going Forward

This is exactly the brand of basketball the Gophers will need to play if they want to make the NCAA tournament. In earlier season matchups against ranked opponents, notably their overtime loss to Maryland in December, the Gophers struggled to maintain control late in games.

Against Iowa, they finally were able to.

It was Minnesota’s best performance against a ranked opponent in years and a win they can lean on for momentum as they close out the final month of regular season play.

What’s Next

The Gophers will stay on the road for a Sunday match up against Rutgers before returning home next week to host the Nebraska Cornhuskers next Thursday.