The No. 4 seeded Minnesota Gophers women’s basketball team entered Friday’s Big Ten quarterfinal looking to build on their recent momentum and make their case to be a host for the first round of the NCAA tournament.
The Gophers won against their opponent, the No. 5 seeded Ohio State Buckeyes in their last meeting too. They beat them back in February in a strong 74-61 win. They weren’t entering the game as the underdogs.
This time around though, Minnesota struggled to find consistent scoring and they committed 21 turnovers, still somehow remaining to stay in reach as the game progressed. The Gophers were ultimately held off by Ohio State, losing 60-55.
The loss ends Minnesota’s brief Big Ten tournament run. They still remain in strong position for an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament and their chance to host the first round isn’t out of the picture yet.
Standout Performances
Despite the loss, graduate center Sophie Hart delivered one of her strongest performances of the season. She finished with 12 points and 19 rebounds, tying Minnesota’s program record for most rebounds in a Big Ten tournament game. It was a personal high as well, the most rebounds she has had in her career.
Hart’s performance also pushed her past the 1,000 points milestone, becoming the 31st player in the program to do so.
Another leader for Minnesota’s offensive efforts was junior Grace Grocholski. She had 18 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals.
Game Changer
There wasn’t one particular moment where the game got out of hand for Minnesota. Instead, the impact of their 21 turnovers given up over the course of the game built up.
Despite their rebounding advantage with 44 rebounds, the turnovers were costly. That gave Ohio State extra possessions and wasted Minnesota’s own.
Minnesota also struggled to contain Ohio State’s sophomore Jaloni Cambridge who had 19 points, especially after sophomore guard Tori McKinney briefly exited the game with an injury and later on dealt with foul trouble.
Yet even with those struggles, Minnesota remained in striking distance. In the final 90 seconds of the game, they trailed by three points before Ohio State closed it out.
Going Forward
The Gophers showed resilience in what was arguably one of their most uneven games in recent weeks. That resilience will be important to carry forward into NCAA tournament play.
They’ll want to continue their rebounding success, but fully capitalize on those opportunities and limit their turnovers.
What’s Next
Minnesota will wait for over a week to find out their NCAA tournament placement when the bracket is announced on Selection Sunday.
