University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
18-4,6-4Big Ten
Southern California
19-1,9-0Big Ten
Minnesota Comes Up Short in 82-69 Loss to No. 4 Southern California
1/30/2025 11:23:00 PM | Women's Basketball
The Gophers will face No. 1 UCLA on Sunday
LOS ANGELES, Calif. - The Minnesota women's basketball team (18-4, 6-4 B1G) fell short in an 82-69 loss to the No. 4 Southern California Trojans (19-1, 9-0 B1G) on the road Thursday evening.
The Golden Gophers had three players score in double figures, led by Sophie Hart, who had 18 points and eight rebounds. Mallory Heyer added 17 points and seven rebounds and Amaya Battle chipped in as well with 14 points and seven rebounds.
Minnesota forced 14 Southern California turnovers while committing 10 themselves in Thursday's game. The Maroon & Gold turned those takeaways into 15 points on the offensive end of the floor. Grace Grocholski led the way individually with three steals.
How It Happened
Minnesota struggled out of the gate, falling behind 25-15 at the end of the first quarter.
The Gophers continued to lose ground in the second quarter and faced a 40-28 halftime deficit.
Southern California continued to increase its lead after halftime, building a 45-28 advantage before Minnesota went on a 7-0 run to trim its deficit to 45-35 with 6:47 to go in the third. The Trojans countered and stretched its lead to 64-49 heading into the fourth. Minnesota knocked down three three-pointers in the quarter to score nine of its 21 total points.
Minnesota came out of the third quarter break clicking on all cylinders, going on a 9-0 run, finished off by Hart's jumper, to shrink the deficit to 64-58 with 8:10 to go in the contest. Southern California responded and outscored the Gophers the rest of the way, ending the game with a final score of 82-69. Minnesota took advantage of its opportunities in the post, scoring 12 of its 20 points in the paint.
Game Notes
» The Minnesota defense forced 14 turnovers.
» Sophie Hart led the Maroon & Gold with 18 points.
» Minnesota got a team-high eight rebounds from Sophie Hart.
