University of Minnesota Athletics
Saturday, December 3
Williams Arena
7:30 PM
University of Minnesota
5-3,1-0Big Ten
98
vs
96
Penn State
7-2,0-1Big Ten
1
2
3
4
OT 1
OT 2
F
Penn St.
14
14
27
21
10
10
96
Minnesota
16
15
15
30
10
12
98
Team Stats
PSU
MINN
FG%
.520
.470
3FG%
.458
.381
FT%
.500
.875
RB
38
39
TO
22
26
STL
13
11
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
26
FGM
7
3FGM
1
FTM
11
Pts
19
FGM
7
3FGM
2
FTM
3
Pts
18
FGM
7
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
13
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
3
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's Basketball
Photo by: Christopher Mitchell
Gophers Rally, Defeat Penn State in Double Overtime
12/3/2022 8:29:00 PM | Women's Basketball
MINNEAPOLIS (Dec. 3, 2022) – The University of Minnesota (5-3, 1-0 B1G) rallied past Penn State (7-2, 0-1 B1G) 98-96 on Saturday night at Williams Arena to open the Big Ten season. Mara Braun and Katie Borowicz hit clutch free throws to force overtime with Braun finishing with a team high 26 points, including 11-of-11 from the free throw line.
Braun's 26 gives the freshman four games in six starts with 24 or more points. The Wayzata, Minn., native also handed out a career high six assists, grabbed four rebounds and snagged three steals. Minnesota's trio of true freshman led the Gophers in every facet on Saturday with Amaya Battle scoring a career-high 19 points while adding five assists and five rebounds with three steals. Chaska's Mallory Heyer posted her second career double double with 18 points and 11 boards to go along with her two steals. Minnesota's lone redshirt-freshman starter Katie Borowicz finished with 13 points of her own along with three assists and a steal.
After a tightly contested opening 29 minutes, Braun broke the 28-28 score with a step-back three in the final seconds of the second quarter to give the Maroon and Gold a 3-point lead into the locker room. Battle erupted in the third quarter, scoring 10 of her 19 points in the frame, hitting 4-of-5 from the field, including a pair of huge threes that pushed the Gopher lead to five, and eventually as much as seven.
Penn State then finished the final five minutes of the third with an 18-2 run, taking a nine-point lead into the fourth quarter. Minnesota continued to fight, posting a 10-3 run to cut the lead to two in the opening 2:44 of the fourth with Alanna 'Rose' Micheaux scoring four of her eight points during the run.
Penn State continued to hold the lead throughout the fourth, and eventually held an eight-point lead with 2:25 to go in regulation. Braun then erupted with seven points in the final 2:12, including three free throws after getting fouled in the corner to tie the game at 74-74 with 13 seconds remaining.
On the ensuing possession Penn State in-bounded the ball from half court, got downhill, and hit a layup with two seconds left. Minnesota sent the ball into Borowicz, who was fouled with 0.5 seconds remaining and was sent to the line, down two. Borowicz, like Braun, came up clutch to tie the game and send the game to overtime.
In the first overtime it was free throws that got the Gophers on the board, scoring six of their 10 points at the charity stripe. Heyer was the only Gopher to connect from the floor, scoring two buckets in the first two minutes to give Minnesota a four point lead early. The Nittany Lions continued to battle, with a Shay Ciezki fall away jumper forcing a second overtime.
The second overtime saw the visitors take a three-point lead with 3:42 to go before Heyer connected on her final bucket of the game, an and-one to tie the game at 90. On the following possession Battle drove the lane down the baseline and connected on her seventh shot of the night. Penn State tied the game a minute later, but Battle responded again followed by a Braun and-one to extend the lead to five where the Gophers were then able to clutch out the victory down the stretch and move to 1-0 in the Big Ten season.
As a team the Maroon and Gold shot 31-of-66 from the floor, including 28-of-32 from the charity stripe. The Gophers won the rebound battle 39-38, and hit 8-of-21 from beyond the arc.
For more information on the Gophers, continue to check back with GopherSports.com. Keep up with the University of Minnesota women's basketball on Twitter and Instagram (@GopherWBB) and on Facebook, so you do not miss any content during the 2022-23 season.
GAME NOTES: Minnesota's starting five of Borowicz, Battle, Braun, Heyer and Micheaux has an average age of 19 years, 3 months and 29 days... Minnesota's double overtime victory is the first since 2020 against Rutgers... Minnesota's 30 points in the fourth quarter are the second most in a quarter this season, only behind the team's 32-points against Lehigh (11/13)... Minnesota is now 9-0 when scoring more than 90 points under head coach Lindsay Whalen... Minnesota now has two 10-point comeback victories this season (Lehigh - 11/13).
Braun's 26 gives the freshman four games in six starts with 24 or more points. The Wayzata, Minn., native also handed out a career high six assists, grabbed four rebounds and snagged three steals. Minnesota's trio of true freshman led the Gophers in every facet on Saturday with Amaya Battle scoring a career-high 19 points while adding five assists and five rebounds with three steals. Chaska's Mallory Heyer posted her second career double double with 18 points and 11 boards to go along with her two steals. Minnesota's lone redshirt-freshman starter Katie Borowicz finished with 13 points of her own along with three assists and a steal.
After a tightly contested opening 29 minutes, Braun broke the 28-28 score with a step-back three in the final seconds of the second quarter to give the Maroon and Gold a 3-point lead into the locker room. Battle erupted in the third quarter, scoring 10 of her 19 points in the frame, hitting 4-of-5 from the field, including a pair of huge threes that pushed the Gopher lead to five, and eventually as much as seven.
Penn State then finished the final five minutes of the third with an 18-2 run, taking a nine-point lead into the fourth quarter. Minnesota continued to fight, posting a 10-3 run to cut the lead to two in the opening 2:44 of the fourth with Alanna 'Rose' Micheaux scoring four of her eight points during the run.
Penn State continued to hold the lead throughout the fourth, and eventually held an eight-point lead with 2:25 to go in regulation. Braun then erupted with seven points in the final 2:12, including three free throws after getting fouled in the corner to tie the game at 74-74 with 13 seconds remaining.
On the ensuing possession Penn State in-bounded the ball from half court, got downhill, and hit a layup with two seconds left. Minnesota sent the ball into Borowicz, who was fouled with 0.5 seconds remaining and was sent to the line, down two. Borowicz, like Braun, came up clutch to tie the game and send the game to overtime.
In the first overtime it was free throws that got the Gophers on the board, scoring six of their 10 points at the charity stripe. Heyer was the only Gopher to connect from the floor, scoring two buckets in the first two minutes to give Minnesota a four point lead early. The Nittany Lions continued to battle, with a Shay Ciezki fall away jumper forcing a second overtime.
The second overtime saw the visitors take a three-point lead with 3:42 to go before Heyer connected on her final bucket of the game, an and-one to tie the game at 90. On the following possession Battle drove the lane down the baseline and connected on her seventh shot of the night. Penn State tied the game a minute later, but Battle responded again followed by a Braun and-one to extend the lead to five where the Gophers were then able to clutch out the victory down the stretch and move to 1-0 in the Big Ten season.
As a team the Maroon and Gold shot 31-of-66 from the floor, including 28-of-32 from the charity stripe. The Gophers won the rebound battle 39-38, and hit 8-of-21 from beyond the arc.
For more information on the Gophers, continue to check back with GopherSports.com. Keep up with the University of Minnesota women's basketball on Twitter and Instagram (@GopherWBB) and on Facebook, so you do not miss any content during the 2022-23 season.
GAME NOTES: Minnesota's starting five of Borowicz, Battle, Braun, Heyer and Micheaux has an average age of 19 years, 3 months and 29 days... Minnesota's double overtime victory is the first since 2020 against Rutgers... Minnesota's 30 points in the fourth quarter are the second most in a quarter this season, only behind the team's 32-points against Lehigh (11/13)... Minnesota is now 9-0 when scoring more than 90 points under head coach Lindsay Whalen... Minnesota now has two 10-point comeback victories this season (Lehigh - 11/13).
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