MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The progress Minnesota made this season to attract a top-16 seed for the NCAA Tournament by no means mattered greater than down the stretch towards Green Bay, with a roaring crowd serving to carry the Gophers to victory.
Minnesota survived a home-court scare from the No. 13 seed, utilizing a 30-point fourth quarter to surge past the Phoenix 75-58 in the primary round on Friday.
Amaya Battle had 21 factors and eight rebounds, Sophie Hart scored 19 factors, and Mara Braun saved her greatest for the scorching end because the No. 4 seed Gophers (23-8) celebrated their first tournament look since 2018 with a memorable comeback in entrance of a season-high 10,355 followers at Williams Arena.
“It was the loudest I’ve ever heard it. This is what we dream of doing, and especially at home,” mentioned Braun, who had eight of her 16 factors 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 halfway by the third quarter, will keep house to face No. 5 seed Mississippi in a second-round sport 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 mentioned. “And it’s a good thing that basketball is a 40-minute game, because we needed 40 minutes.”
Maddy Skorupski scored 19 factors for the Phoenix (25-9), who merely ran out of steam towards the relentless Gophers protection down the stretch.
Minnesota shot 12 for 16 in the fourth quarter with only one turnover. Green Bay went 4 for 15 with 5 giveaways in the ultimate interval and was outscored 41-15 over the ultimate 16:09 of the sport.
“It’s a great environment to be in, even if they’re against you,” Skorupski mentioned.
The Phoenix rise to the event
Green Bay posed a harmful matchup for Minnesota, with 4 senior starters and a crisp and disciplined assault. Coach Kayla Karius was as soon as an assistant on Plitzuweit’s workers at South Dakota, and the Phoenix have lengthy been one of many nation’s greatest mid-major packages. This was their twenty first look in the NCAA Tournament in the final 33 years, although they haven’t received a sport since beating Iowa State in 2012.
Skorupski hit a baseline jumper to beat the buzzer and provides Green Bay a 29-26 lead at halftime, after the Gophers missed eight of 9 3-pointers and two-thirds of their photographs from the ground.
“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 mentioned.
No. 13 seed winners is a brief listing
The No. 13 seeds fell to 10-126 all-time in the ladies’s event, with seven first-round victories and three journeys to the Sweet 16. Wright State was the final winner, over Arkansas in the primary round in 2021 in Austin, Texas. The solely time a No. 13 seed has sprung an upset on an opponent’s house court docket was when Rice beat No. 4 seed UC Santa Barbara in 2000, although No. 16 seed Harvard famously received at No. 1 Stanford in 1998.
Bittersweet ending for Guyer
Horizon League Player of the Year Jenna Guyer, who grew up in the Twin Cities space and starred at Centennial High School about 15 miles north of Williams Arena, bought her third foul in the primary half and went scoreless till early in the third quarter whereas sitting for an prolonged stretch. She completed with 5 factors and 5 rebounds.
Up subsequent
Minnesota and Mississippi have performed solely as soon as earlier than, 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 protection: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
