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University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
15-11,5-10Big Ten
Wisconsin
13-12,6-9Big Ten
Minnesota Falls Short in 67-56 Loss to Wisconsin
2/20/2024 8:07:00 PM | Women's Basketball
MINNEAPOLISÂ --Â The Minnesota women's basketball team fell short in a 67-56 loss to the Wisconsin Badgers at Williams Arena on Tuesday night.
The Golden Gophers (15-11, 5-10 B1G) had three players score in double figures, led by Amaya Battle, who had 16Â points and five assists. Janay Sanders added 11 points and Ayianna Johnson helped out with 11 points and seven rebounds in her first career start.
Johnson pulled down five offensive rebounds to pace an offense that racked up second chance opportunities for Minnesota, grabbing 12 boards and turning them into 15 second chance points.
The Minnesota defense was effective at taking away the basketball in Tuesday's game, forcing 14 Wisconsin turnovers. Those takeaways turned into 18 points on the offensive end of the floor.Â
How It Happened
After falling behind 12-7, Minnesota went on a 5-0 run with 1:20 left in the first quarter, culminating in a three from Grace Grocholski, to tie the game at 12. Wisconsin then pulled ahead, sending the Golden Gophers into the second quarter down 15-12.
The Golden Gophers continued to lose ground in the second quarter and faced a 39-24 halftime deficit.
Wisconsin continued to increase its lead after halftime, building a 52-33 advantage before Minnesota went on a 10-0 run, punctuated by a basket from Battle, to trim its deficit to 52-43 with one second to go in the third, a score which remained until the end of the third quarter. Minnesota played well near the basket, scoring 10 of its 19 points in the paint.
Wisconsin kept widening its lead in the fourth, constructing a 55-43 advantage before Minnesota went on a 6-0 run, finished off by Battle's jumper, to shrink the deficit to 55-49 with 5:22 to go in the contest. Wisconsin responded and outscored the Golden Gophers the rest of the way, ending the game with a final score of 67-56.Â
Game Notes
» With Ayianna Johnson joining the starting lineup Minnesota has now had three different lineups this season.Â
» Mallory Heyer has made 56 consecutive starts and has made a three in 24 straight games.
» Ayianna Johnson recorded her career high in minutes at 28.Â
