Friday night marked the first time the Williams Arena hosted the NCAA tournament in over a decade.
The University of Minnesota women’s basketball team earned a No. 4 seed in the tournament and faced off with No. 13 University of Wisconsin Green Bay in the first round, triumphing 75-58.
Both games saw over 10,000 people, according to the team. Gophers coach Dawn Plitzuweit said both games were the loudest environments she has ever been in.
“I don’t want to say how many years I’ve been coaching, but it’s been quite a few years. As a player, as a coach, I have never been in an environment that was that loud, ever,” Plitzuweit said.
Following the first game, the Gophers clinched a win against No. 5 Ole Miss in the second round with a last-minute shot from senior guard Amaya Battle at the end of the fourth quarter.
“We believed we were going to win and we stuck together and that’s really a big part of how it ended,” Battle said following the second game.
Both games had support from notable Minnesota names, including Gopher football coach PJ Fleck and Governor Tim Walz.
“The word I use for them is legacy,” Plitzuweit said. “They’re using a legacy in Minnesota women’s basketball right now.”
The Gophers will head to Sacramento to face No. 1 UCLA on Friday, who beat Oklahoma State 87-68 to earn their spot in the Sweet 16.
