With shots not falling from outside the arc, the Gophers’ women’s basketball team switched strategy to begin the second half Sunday.
Routinely getting the ball inside, Minnesota broke open a tie game with a 15-2 run and pulled away for a 71-50 win over Wisconsin at Williams Arena.
Minnesota freshman Tori McKinney drives to the basket during the 23rd-ranked Gophers’ 71-50 victory over Wisconsin on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025, at Williams Arena. McKinney finished with 14 points, three steals and an assist. (Gophers Athletics)
Just 3 for 17 from deep in the first half, the Gophers basically put the long-distance attempts on hold.
Sophie Hart made four straight free throws — each pair coming after an offensive rebound — Tori McKinney scored on a drive, and after a Badgers’ bucket, back-to-back layups by Mallory Heyer quickly turned a tie game at the half into a 38-30 advantage.
Grace Grocholski drained a trey and a step-back jumper by Amaya Battle made the lead 13.
“I’m really impressed with our young ladies, that they were able to not only be attentive of how we wanted to attack, but also do it with some type of tempo,” coach Dawn Plitzuweit said.
Hart provided the spark for the 23rd-ranked Gophers. Of her five rebounds, all came on the offensive end.
“What’s one thing that you can control if you’re missing shots? Offensive rebounds,” she said. “I feel like the last part of the season, that’s started to really click for me. So, try to continue to do that for the team, because that’s a control that I have.”
“I think she made really good decisions,” said Plitzuweit, calling Hart’s performance her best as a Gopher. “Because early in the game, they were doubling her; early in the third quarter, still doubling her; then they went to a segment where they weren’t doubling her, and you still, it’s not like you can just take the ball scoring inside one on one every time. You have to make good decisions with it.”
Hart was key in limiting Wisconsin’s standout forward Serah Williams to 16 points and six rebounds, but just four points and two rebounds in the final 20 minutes. One of the two players nationally averaging a double-double, Williams entered averaging 18.7 and a conference-best 11.4 rebounds per game.
Williams had eight of Wisconsin’s season-high 23 turnovers.
“One on one, she’s really, really hard to guard in this league, and any league for that matter,” Plitzuweit said of the Badgers star. “But I thought that Mallory Heyer was incredible. I thought her helping, and helping down, was really important.
:… I thought there were times that the play was made by Sophie, there were times play was made by Mallory, there’s times the play was made by Amaya, there’s times it was by Tori getting back out and then cutting the kid off, or whatever it was. … I think there were just so many different plays. It’s not one.”
Heyer finished with a team-high 11 rebounds.
In front of a season-high 7,554 attendees, Minnesota (18-3, 6-3 Big Ten) shot just 39.7% from the field (9 for 36) in the first half and over 50 percent (16-30) in the second half. The Gophers made 15 of 16 free throws.
Grocholski, a Wisconsin native, led four double-digit Minnesota scorers with 17 points, Hart scored 16, Heyer 15 and McKinney 14.
Grocholski made four of her seven 3-point shots. The rest of the Gophers combined to make just 2 of 17. Minnesota finished 6 for 24 from deep after a 6 for 26 outing Wednesday in a 5-point loss to Michigan.
Losers of eight straight Big Ten games, the Badgers (10-10, 1-8) were outrebounded 41-29 and outscored 21-7 on second-chance points.
Things get tougher for Minnesota next weekend with a road trip to Southern California with games against No. 4 USC Thursday and top-ranked UCLA on Sunday.
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