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14-6,5-4Big Ten
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13-8,5-5Big Ten
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Minnesota Beats Wisconsin 88-53
1/25/2026 4:44:00 PM | Women's Basketball
MINNEAPOLIS - The Minnesota women's basketball team (14-6, 5-4 Big Ten) defeated Wisconsin (13-8, 5-5) 88-33 on Alumni Day at Williams Arena before a season-high crowd of 5,749, including 77 alumni.
The 35-point win matched the Golden Gophers' largest victory over the Badgers since a 91-56 win on March 10, 1993.
Minnesota shot 59.3% (32 of 54) from the field and 56.3% (9 of 16) from 3-point range, both season highs. The field-goal percentage was the highest under head coach Dawn Plitzuweit.
The Gophers had four players score in double figures, led by Tori McKinney, who had 20 points, seven rebounds and three steals. Grace Grocholski added 18 points and Amaya Battle chipped in as well with 18 points, four assists and two steals. Finau Tonga added 10 points on the evening.
Minnesota shared the ball well in Sunday's game, racking up 21 assists on 32 made field goals. Individually, Brylee Glenn led the way for the Gophers with five assists.
The Minnesota defense held Wisconsin shooters to just 34.6 percent from the field. The Badgers did not get many second opportunities on the offensive end, as they grabbed only eight offensive rebounds and scored 13 second chance points while Minnesota pulled down 26 defensive rebounds.
How It Happened
Minnesota started out the scoring by going on an 8-0 run, culminating in a three from Grocholski, to take an early lead with 7:30 to go in the first quarter. The Gophers then added four points to that lead by the end of the period and entered the quarter break with a 24-12 advantage. Minnesota relied on its three-point shooting in the period, knocking down four shots to account for 12 of its 24 points.
Minnesota kept its first quarter lead intact before going on a 9-0 run starting at the 2:31 mark in the second period, highlighted by a bucket from Sophie Hart, to increase its lead to 44-24, a score that would hold until halftime. Minnesota dominated in the paint, scoring 14 of its 20 points close to the basket.
Minnesota continued to preserve its halftime lead before going on a 10-0 run to expand its lead further to 66-46 with six seconds to go in the third, a score which remained until the end of the third quarter. Minnesota scored five fast break points in the quarter.
Minnesota kept its lead intact before going on a 13-0 run, finished off by Glenn's layup, to grow the lead to 83-51 with 2:34 to go in the contest. The Gophers kept expanding the margin and coasted the rest of the way for the 88-53 win. Minnesota took advantage of its opportunities in the post, scoring 12 of its 22 points in the paint.
Game Notes
» The Gophers held the Badgers to only 34.6 percent shooting from the field.
» The Gophers never trailed after taking a 24-12 first quarter lead.
» Minnesota recorded 21 total assists in the game.
» The Gophers forced 18 Wisconsin turnovers while committing only eight on the other end.
» Minnesota had a 33-25 edge on the boards in the win.
» The Minnesota defense forced 18 turnovers.
» Minnesota turned the ball over eight times while dishing out 21 assists.
» McKinney led the Gophers with a game-high 20 points.
» Minnesota got a game-high seven rebounds from McKinney.