University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
Iowa
Battle Scores 16 in 94-71 Loss at No. 4/3 Iowa
12/30/2023 3:17:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Battle (16), Braun (15) and Hart (13) all scored in double figures.
IOWA CITY, IOWA --The Minnesota women's basketball team came up short in a 94-71 loss to No. 4/3 Iowa on the road Saturday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
The Golden Gophers (11-2, 1-1 B1G) had three players score in double figures, led by sophomore Amaya Battle, who had 16 points, five assists and a career high five steals. Mara Braun added 15 points and five assists and Sophie Hart helped out with 13 points, six rebounds and two steals.
How It Happened
Iowa jumped on the Gophers early, scoring 16 of the game's first 20 points. Iowa's lead was as large as 15 during the opening quarter and led 25-12 after 10 minutes of play.
Minnesota was able to connect from beyond the arc in the second quarter after going 0-for-4 from three in the opening frame. Back-to-back triples from Mallory Heyer helped Minnesota pull within 11 with 7:25 to go in the half, but Iowa bounced back with a 13-3 run to grow their lead to 21 late in the half and went into the locker room with a 49-31 advantage on the Maroon and Gold.
Iowa continued to increase its lead after halftime, building a 69-44 advantage before Minnesota went on a 5-0 run, punctuated by a basket from Battle, to trim its deficit to 69-49 with 2:03 to go in the third. Iowa countered and stretched its lead to 76-49 heading into the fourth.
Iowa continued to push the pace in the fourth, constructing an 84-52 advantage and eventually ended the day with a 94-71 victory over the visiting Gophers.
Game Notes
» Minnesota forced 18 Iowa turnovers, the third-most in a game this season for the Hawkeyes.
» Mara Braun made all seven of her free throw attempts, which is her sixth game of her career that she went 5-of-5 or better from the free throw line in a game.
» Through two Big Ten contests this season Amaya Battle is averaging 15.5 points per game, 4.5 assists and 3.5 steals.
» Minnesota got a team-high six rebounds from Sophie Hart.
