The Minnesota women’s basketball team is picking things up where they left them to end the 2024-25 season.

The reigning Women’s Basketball Invitational Tournament champions played host to the North Dakota Fighting Hawks on Tuesday night to open the new season, winning 91-47.

“Defensively our young ladies played really, really hard,” said head coach Dawn Plitzuweit. “They were really disruptive. It was really fun to watch. And then on the offensive end, we didn’t make as many shots as we wanted to. But our offensive rebound was absolutely outstanding. The energy really propelled us, and I thought this was a great way to open the season and get things started.”

The Gophers have high expectations after going 25-11 in the 2024-25 regular season. They struggled in Big Ten play, going 8-10, but were dominant against non-conference opponents, going 17-1.

While the challenges against other Big Ten teams are still a month out, they had a roster shake-up that provided new challenges for the foreseeable future.

Forward Mallory Heyer announced on social media last week that she was leaving the team and entering the transfer portal for ‘personal reasons.’ Heyer’s decision to leave was a shock to many on the team, but her departure led to other players being the stars on both sides of the ball in the season opener.

Senior guard Amaya Battle stepped up where Heyer was best, leading the team with 10 defensive rebounds, while freshman guard Makena Christian made a strong first impression, leading the way with 23 points and making 50% of her three-point attempts.

The reigning Wisconsin Player of the Year was ranked as the best guard in the state last season, and her play on Tuesday showed 3,300-plus Gophers fans the excitement around their newest starter was well worth it.

“I thought she handled the emotions of playing in her first home contest at a
really high level. I think she’s someone who’s very calm and steady anyway, but I
thought she did some really good things on both end of the court,” Plitzuweit said
on Christian’s performance.

“I was excited to play with all my teammates,” said Christian. “Being in the Barn was really cool, I think the energy was really cool. But the main thing was I was really excited to play with my teammates.”

“Big shoutout to Amaya,” center Sophie Hart said. “Because 10 defensive rebounds, oh my gosh. She has really stepped up in that category, I mean obviously tonight, but even in practice. So I’d say it was a team effort.”

The Gophers also had a strong night from Hart, tallying 16 points and seven rebounds, as well as a 14-point night from grad forward Finau Tonga, who was 6 for 8 at the line with seven rebounds.

The Gophers are back in action at 7 p.m. Friday against Manhattan at Williams Arena.

Senior point guard Amaya Battle, right, drives on a North Dakota player in the Gophers’ 91-47 victory Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025, at Williams Arena. Battle was 0 for 10 from the field but had a game-high seven assists and no turnovers in the Gophers’ season opener. (Jerod Ringwald / Gophers Athletics)

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Nothing comes easy for the Minnesota Wild this season.

On Tuesday they were 0.3 seconds away from a regulation win, only to be struck by outrageous fortune.

In the end, they got an overtime goal from Marcus Johansson to beat the Nashville Predators, 3-2, and post their first two-game winning streak of the season. But not before Nashville forced overtime in literally the final second of regulation in St. Paul.

On the overtime winner, Johansson was open in front of the Nashville net when Predators goalie Justus Annunen dislodged the net before Johansson could shoot. Referees declared it a goal, and upheld the call after a review.

Before that, power play goals by Kirill Kaprizov and Zeev Buium helped the Wild overcome some long stretches where Nashville was the clear aggressor, as Minnesota improved to 5-6-3  overall and 2-0 in November after a messy opening month.

Filip Gustavsson finished with 32 saves for the Wild and is now 4-6-1 in his 11 starts this season.

Minnesota got the game’s first power play, barely two minutes into the game, but could not muster a shot on goal.

The Predators’ penalty kill had the best scoring chance while they were down a man, as Johansson’s turnover sprung Nashville winger Ozzy Wiesblatt on a breakaway from the blue line. But his low shot hit the goalpost.

The Wild’s second power play, near the midway point of the first, went much better. When the Predators left the middle of the offensive zone open for Kaprizov, he took a stride toward the net, then zipped a shot through a screen in front of Annunen. It was Kaprizov’s team-leading eighth goal of the season, and his third in the past four games.

The Wild’s improving penalty kill negated the team’s first trip to the penalty box early in the second period, only to see Nashville tie it up when the teams were back to five-on-five.

Matthew Wood, who averaged a point per game last season for the Gophers, found himself all alone in front of Gustavsson and got a tap-in for his third NHL goal. It was also Wood’s third goal in the past four games.

Nashville dominated the period for 15 minutes, drawing some boos from the home crowd, as the Wild looked off-kilter and needed Gustavsson to hold them in the game with 13 saves in the middle frame.

But a Predators penalty late in the second opened the door for the Wild to grab momentum, and they did with eight seconds left in the power play. This time it was Buium redirecting a feed from Brock Faber as Minnesota led for the second time.

Johansson had the secondary assist on Buium’s goal, giving him a career-best six-game point streak. Nashville outshot the Wild 14-4 in the second period.

With Annunen on the bench for an extra attacker and just seconds remaining, Joel Eriksson Ek’s clearing attempt hit the referee and stayed in the zone, setting up a last-second slap shot by Stamkos to tie the game.

Annunen finished with 21 saves for Nashville.

It was the second night of back-to-back games for the Predators, who had a 5-4 overtime loss to Vancouver on Monday night in Nashville. The Wild and Predators will play three more times this season, with their next meeting coming on Dec. 23 at Grand Casino Arena.

After posting a 2-2-2 record in their now-concluded six-game homestand, the Wild head east for a pair of road games. They pay their only visit of the season to the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday and to the New York Islanders on Friday.

Briefly

As a part of their on-going 25th anniversary celebration, the Wild honored three of their best-known puck-stoppers with former goalies Niklas Backstrom, Devan Dubnyk and Josh Harding conducting the ceremonial first faceoff before the game. Dubnyk and Harding have both made Minnesota their home in retirement, with the latter serving as the goalie coach at Edina High School.

Dakota County residents filled board seats and approved education funds at the polls Tuesday.

Here’s a look at what voters were asked, what passed and how homeowners will be impacted.

Farmington

Voters in Farmington approved an operating levy that will provide approximately $1,236.60 per student annually, generating about $8 million per year for 10 years. The levy, which passed with more than 57% of the vote, will be used to sustain current class sizes, maintain literacy and math instruction, strengthen elementary enrichment opportunities and expand middle and high school career pathway options, according to the district.

Owners of a median-value $350,000 home in the area can expect to see their property taxes increase about $534 annually, or $45 per month, due to the passing referendum. The district notes that previously approved levies will expire in 2027 and 2031, reducing overall property taxes at those times.

Hastings

School board: Voters in the Hastings school district, ISD 200, elected Elaine K. Mikel-Mulder in a special election to fill a vacant school board seat. Mikel-Mulder handily won with more than 60% of the vote.

The seat was formerly held by Jenny Wiederholt-Pine, who died in February. Wiederholt-Pine, of Miesville, was a district soccer coach, restaurant co-owner, avid equestrian, wife and mother.

Elaine Mikel-Mulder (Courtesy of the candidate)

Mikel-Mulder, a mother, attorney and an alumni of Hastings, was elected this spring to fill the remainder of Weiderholt-Pine’s term.

“My friend and a woman who many in this community would consider an absolute giant and legend, Jenny Wiederholt, was one of the initial people who nudged me towards running for this position,” Mikel-Mulder said on her webpage. “Although my commitment to joining to the board is rooted in my personal passion for education, I really would like to do what I can to honor Jenny’s legacy in this community.”

Mikel-Mulder’s term will run from Jan. 5, 2026 until Jan. 1, 2029.

Lakeville

Lakeville voters overwhelmingly approved a request to renew an expiring capital projects levy that was first passed in 2015.

The levy, which passed with nearly 70% of the vote, will continue to generate roughly $4 million annually for 10 years for education technology like projectors and TVs, cybersecurity systems and equipment and software for K-12 STEM education and career-focused courses for high school students, according to the district.

A renewal is a request to maintain taxes at the current level and as a result there will be no new tax increase, per the district.

School board: Voters in the district, ISD 194, also elected Tony Reichenberger to the school board, unseating incumbent Brett Nicholson.

Reichenberger, a father and former attorney who currently works for an AI company, tallied 51% of the vote compared to Nicholson’s 48%. Reichenberger is committed to investing in teachers, collaborating with the community and improving the reputation of the district’s school board, according to his candidate webpage.

Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan

Nearly 68% of voters in the Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan school district voted to renew and increase an expiring technology capital projects levy.

First approved in 2015 for 3.015%, voters approved a request to renew and increase the levy to 5.015%, which will generate an additional $6.4 million annually, resulting in about $15.5 million annually in technology funding for the next 10 years. The technology levy directly supports classroom instruction by funding student learning devices, digital tools, cybersecurity, communications systems, computer science education and career and technical education, according to the district.

Homeowners in the area with an estimated market-value home of $400,000 can expect to see their annual property taxes increase by about $85, or $7 per month, due to the passing referendum.

School board: Voters in the district, ISD 196, also elected Leah Gardner, Robin Cerio and Sakawdin Mohamed in the general school board election.

Each of the newly elected members are Eagan residents and currently on the school board with terms expiring Jan. 5. Their new terms will run from January 2026 to January 2030.

Catherine Diamond, a mother of three with a doctorate in public health, won ISD 196’s special election and will serve the remaining two years of former board member Sachin Isaac’s term. Diamond, who ran unopposed, was appointed to fill Isaac’s vacancy until an election could be held after his resignation in October 2024.

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St. Paul residents went to the polls in unexpectedly heavy numbers Tuesday to choose between re-electing St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter to a third term in office or elevating one of four challengers to the role.

Among those challengers, the ranked-choice election included state Rep. Kaohly Her, who entered the mayor’s race in August with a strong following but a short lead time to make her case for overhauling leadership at City Hall.

Early returns showed Carter and Her virtually neck-and-neck, with just 11 of 86 precincts reporting and Her ahead by little more than a percentage point, or 100 votes.

While hand counts — St. Paul’s traditional method of determining the winner in an instant run-off election — can take days, results in the mayor’s race were expected late Tuesday night, thanks to new open-source software acquired by the capital city for the purpose of digitally reallocating ballots.

Carter and Her

Carter had said his progressive record — which ranges from forgiving library fines and making youth sports free at rec centers to creating college savings accounts for all of the city’s newborns — had never faltered despite riots, pandemic and heavy pushback from the Trump administration, and he asked voters for three more years to continue that agenda.

Her, who once served as Carter’s policy director, had criticized the mayor for what she described as a lack of general responsiveness to voters and prospective business owners. In light of the city’s fiscal challenges, she called into question whether the city should re-evaluate or hold off on several of the mayor’s Parks and Rec priorities, from a protected bikeway along Summit Avenue to a promenade overlooking the Mississippi River along Kellogg Boulevard.

“I’d like to see change,” said Ben McMahon, a Her supporter who voted at the Hillcrest Rec Center on Ford Parkway in Highland Park. “I went to the debate a few weeks ago, and they were hung up on the Summit Avenue bike lanes. There’s a lot more going on in the city than the bike lanes. Look at downtown — 40% of the office buildings are empty.”

Some voters have noted that on key issues, Carter and Her were well aligned. Both said they were “yes” votes on two ballot questions — a special school district levy and charter amendment — and Her has worked closely on several of the mayor’s top priorities, including a citywide $15 minimum wage and college savings accounts for newborns.

Audra Grigus, 26, said she would rank Carter first and Her second. Both candidates had similar platforms, she said, but Carter had done a good job overall of running the city over his two terms. She thought the challenge from Her would make the mayor better at his job over the next three years if he wins.

“This election cycle has pushed Carter,” she said.

Three other challengers were less politically experienced but had become increasingly visible over the course of the election season. Yan Chen, a University of Minnesota biophysicist, and Mike Hilborn, who owns a power washing company, both criticized the mayor’s record on property taxes and spending, and Adam Dullinger, a licensed professional engineer, had presented himself as the race’s strongest proponent for bikeways and public transportation.

Support for candidates

While the mayor lined up support from a majority of the city council, labor unions and progressive advocacy groups active in St. Paul elections like SEIU and Faith in Minnesota, Her drew the support of St. Paul Firefighters Local 21 and Teamsters Joint Council 32.

Some groups, like the St. Paul Area Chamber, had chosen to stay out of the race, with the chamber calling business growth stagnant both downtown and citywide. The St. Paul DFL, which is reconstituting itself, did not endorse a candidate.

The newly-elected mayor will serve three years, instead of four, as a result of the city’s switch to even-year elections in 2028.

St. Paul voters also found two questions on their ballot. The St. Paul School District sought a special 10-year levy equivalent to more than $1,000 per student, adjusted annually for inflation, and another ballot question asked whether to amend the city charter to allow for administrative citations, or civil fines for ordinance violations.

Higher-than-anticipated voter turnout caught some chief elections judges pleasantly off guard. Jeff Maas, head judge for Ward 3, Precinct 4 at the Hillcrest Rec Center on Ford Parkway, said the mayor’s race and the school levy question drew more voters than he had predicted to the polls.

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“We’ve had lines and we’ve had to snake lines,” said Maas, who oversaw a team of eight full-day volunteers, during a late afternoon lull. “I wish I had one more judge.”

About 59,000 voters — or 34% of the city’s 169,950 registered voters — cast ballots in 2021, when Carter handily won re-election in the eight way mayor’s race but a ballot question around rent control faced a less certain path to victory. Nearly 62,000 voters cast ballots in the 10-way mayor’s race in 2017, which reached nearly 40% voter turnout and elevated Carter, the city’s first Black mayor, into office.