MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The progress Minnesota made this season to draw a top-16 seed for the NCAA Tournament never mattered more than down the stretch against Green Bay, with a roaring crowd helping carry the Gophers to victory.
Minnesota survived a home-court scare from the No. 13 seed, using a 30-point fourth quarter to surge past the Phoenix 75-58 in the first round on Friday.
Amaya Battle had 21 points and eight rebounds, Sophie Hart scored 19 points,
and Mara Braun saved her best for the sizzling finish as the No. 4 seed Gophers (23-8) celebrated their first tournament appearance since 2018 with a memorable comeback in front of a season-high 10,355 fans at Williams Arena.
“It was the loudest I’ve ever heard it. This is what we dream of doing, and especially at home,” said Braun, who had eight of her 16 points in the fourth quarter. “We wanted to get to the tournament, first and foremost, but being able to host is just an amazing advantage.”
Minnesota, which trailed 43-34 midway through the third quarter, will stay home to face No. 5 seed Mississippi in a second-round game on Sunday.
“Our fans were absolutely incredible throughout the course of the entire game. I certainly believe that they gave us a ton of energy,” Gophers coach Dawn Plitzuweit said. “And it’s a good thing that basketball is a 40-minute game, because we needed 40 minutes.”
Maddy Skorupski scored 19 points for the Phoenix (25-9), who simply ran out of steam against the relentless Gophers defense down the stretch.
Minnesota shot 12 for 16 in the fourth quarter with just one turnover. Green Bay went 4 for 15 with five giveaways in the final period and was outscored 41-15 over the final 16:09 of the game.
“It’s a great environment to be in, even if they’re against you,” Skorupski said.
Green Bay posed a dangerous matchup for Minnesota, with four senior starters and a crisp and disciplined attack. Coach Kayla Karius was once an assistant on Plitzuweit's staff at South Dakota, and the Phoenix have long been one of the nation's best mid-major programs. This was their 21st appearance in the NCAA Tournament in the last 33 years, though they haven't won a game since beating Iowa State in 2012.
Skorupski hit a baseline jumper to beat the buzzer and give Green Bay a 29-26 lead at halftime, after the Gophers missed eight of nine 3-pointers and two-thirds of their shots from the floor.
“I’m amazed by how fearless they came out tonight, how they believed that they could win and for three quarters, we were in full control of this game,” Karius said.
The No. 13 seeds fell to 10-126 all-time in the women's tournament, with seven first-round victories and three trips to the Sweet 16. Wright State was the last winner, over Arkansas in the first round in 2021 in Austin, Texas. The only time a No. 13 seed has sprung an upset on an opponent's home court was when Rice beat No. 4 seed UC Santa Barbara in 2000, though No. 16 seed Harvard famously won at No. 1 Stanford in 1998.
Horizon League Player of the Year Jenna Guyer, who grew up in the Twin Cities area and starred at Centennial High School about 15 miles north of Williams Arena, got her third foul in the first half and went scoreless until early in the third quarter while sitting for an extended stretch. She finished with five points and five rebounds.
Minnesota and Mississippi have played only once before, when the Gophers beat the Rebels in the National Women's Invitation Tournament in Amarillo, Texas, in 1979.
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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
