No. 23 Minnesota Set for No. 18 Michigan State on Senior Day

MINNEAPOLIS - The No. 23 University of Minnesota women's basketball team (21-6, 12-4 Big Ten) returns to Williams Arena on Sunday to face the No. 18 Michigan State Spartans (21-6, 10-6 Big Ten). Tip off is set for 5 p.m. live on FS1 with Kelsie Kasper on play-by-play and Sydney Parrish as the analyst. Fans can also listen on KFAN+ 96.7 FM or the iHeartRadio app with Justin Gaard and Lynnette Sjoquist.

No. 23 Minnesota (21-6, 12-4 Big Ten) vs. No. 18 Michigan State (21-6, 10-6 Big Ten)
TV: FS1 (Kelsie Kasper - PxP, Sydney Parrish - Analyst)
Tip Time: 5 p.m. CT
Radio: KFAN+ 96.7 FM, and the iHeartRadio app (Justin Gaard and Lynnette Sjoquist)
Location: Williams Arena
Senior Day: Help us celebrate our senior class for their final regular season home game at The Barn as your Gophers host Michigan State! Senior Night presentation will occur pre-game.
Gopherassic Park: An adventure in the making...Join your Gophers as we transport Williams Arena back to the dinosaur filled Jurassic period! The first 250 UMN Students will get a FREE Gopherassic Park themed t-shirt!

STARTING FIVE

The No. 23 Golden Gophers extended their winning streak to nine after defeating No. 10 Ohio State, 74-61 on Wednesday night. Minnesota snapped a 14-game losing streak to the Buckeyes en route to earning its first win in the series since 2016.
Four of Minnesota's starters scored in double figures, led by Sophie Hart, who notched her third double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Amaya Battle recorded her fourth double-double of the season with 13 points and 12 rebounds, while Mara Braun tacked on 18 points and nine rebounds, and Grace Grocholski added 12 points.
Minnesota defeated the 10th-ranked Buckeyes with a seven-player rotation. Along with the Gophers' starters, only Finau Tonga and Brylee Glenn came off the bench. It's the first time since at least 2002-03 that the Gophers beat a top-10 team using seven or fewer players.
The ranked win marked the first top-25 matchup victory for Minnesota at home since 2018 when No. 20 Minnesota took down No. 12 Syracuse 72-68 at Williams Arena. In addition, it's the first time the Gophers beat a top 10 opponent while ranked since 2006 when No. 12 Minnesota beat No. 3 Ohio State 66-63 in overtime at the Big Ten Tournament.
With three top-25 wins and two top-10 victories, It's the first time since 2017-18 that Minnesota has defeated three ranked opponents in the same season and first time since 2003-04 it has defeated two top-10 opponents.
The victory over the Buckeyes improved Minnesota to 21-6 and 12-4 in Big Ten play. It matches the best Big Ten record the Gophers have had since 2004-05 when the Maroon and Gold ended the conference season 12-4.
Wednesday was Minnesota's Pink Jersey Auction Night, and the Gophers set a new record for money raised with $10,295. All proceeds from the auction go to the University of Minnesota's Masonic Cancer Center Foundation.

THE STREAK

The Gophers have won nine consecutive games. It's the team's eight-longest win streak in program history and the longest since opening the 2024-25 season with 10 consecutive victories. In addition, it's the Gophers' second longest win streak within the Big Ten ever. The only longer streak was a program-record 11 straight wins from February of 2003 to January of 2004.
During the streak,all five of Minnesota's starters are averaging double figures led by Battle's 15.3 points per game. McKinney is second overall averaging 13.8 while Hart and Braun are averaging 13.3. Grace Grocholski rounds it out with 11.7 per contest.

WHERE THEY RANK

The Gophers came in at No. 23 in both the AP Top 25 and USA Today Coaches Poll, released on Monday and Tuesday, respectively.
It's the first appearance in the AP Top 25 for the Gophers this season after being the first team out of the poll last week when they received 42 votes. Minnesota last appeared in the AP Poll on Jan. 20 of last season when it was also 23rd.
In addition, the Maroon and Gold received a No. 23 ranking in the USA Today/WBCA Coaches Poll. It's their first appearance in it since last season.
Minnesota is ranked No. 8 in the NET and is one of nine Big Ten teams in the top 25. The only two Big Ten teams ahead are No. 2 UCLA and No. 6 Michigan.
Minnesota's 1.61 assist-to-turnover ratio ranks fourth nationally and second in the Big Ten, only behind No. 1 UConn (1.48), No. 2 UCLA (1.73), and No. 3 Iowa State (1.6).
The Maroon and Gold's defense allows only 56.7 points per game, ranking them first in the Big Ten and 21st in the nation.

MICHIGAN STATE SERIES HISTORY

The Spartans lead the series 49-25 overall, 29-7 in East Lansing, and 3-1 at neutral sites.
The series is tied 17-17 at Williams Arena.
Michigan State holds a two-game winning streak over Minnesota. Picking up wins last March and back in 2024. Minnesota is looking for its first win in the series since January 20, 2024.

BATTLE TIME

Against Ohio State, Amaya Battle officially surpassed Lindsay Whalen (578) to be Minnesota's No. 2 all-time assists leader. After dishing out five assists, Battle now has 583 career assists. She sits behind Debbie Hunter (1979-83) who ended her career with 633.
Battle is one of three active NCAA players with more than 1,000 career points, 700 career rebounds and 500 career assists along with Texas A&M's Ny'Ceara Pryor and TCU's Olivia Miles.
Battle's career total stands at 1,455 points, 729 rebounds, and 583 assists.Since 2002-03, the guard is one of 21 players to reach those numbers.
Along with Battle, Rachel Banham is the only other Golden Gopher to record at least 1,000 points, 600 career rebounds and 500 assists in a career.
This season, the Hopkins, Minn., native has increased her rebounding from averaging 5.1 rebounds per game last season to 7.4 this season. Notably, she's recorded 201 rebounds this season, an improvement from 182 last season.
In addition, Battle leads the Gophers with four double-doubles on the year: (13 points, 12 rebounds vs. Maryland on Dec. 7, 2025), (12 points, 10 rebounds at Penn State on Jan. 28, 2026), (12 points, 14 rebounds at Iowa on Feb. 5, 2026), (13 points, 12 rebounds against Ohio State on Feb. 18, 2026).

THE ORIGINAL G-MONEY

This season, Grace Grocholski leads Minnesota with 347 points and is second at 12.9 points per game.
The guard-forward is shooting 50.0% from the field, 46.3% from 3-point range and 71.9% from the free throw line.
The North Prairie, Wis., native has 213 career made 3-pointers, ranking No. 7 all time in Minnesota program history.
Grocholski is ranked No. 6 in the nation and third in the Big Ten in 3-point percentage.
Grocholski also ranks second on the Gophers' roster with 75 assists.
Against No. 7 Maryland on Dec. 7, Grocholski knocked down a career-high nine 3-pointers on her way to a career-best 31 points, tying for the second-most 3-pointers made in a single game in program history.
In Minnesota's win over Ohio State, Grocholski went 4-8 from the arc. She hit two 3-pointers in 28 seconds in the third quarter to extend Minnesota's lead to eight.

McKINNEY MAGIC

In the Maroon and Gold's last nine games, Tori McKinney has averaged 13.8 points per game, has tallied 28 assists and has a team-leading 19 steals during that stretch.
She's hit double figures in seven of the last nine games.
McKinney recorded back-to-back 20-point games, scoring 23 points against Penn State on Jan. 28 after posting 20 against Wisconsin on Jan. 25.
It marked the first time a Gopher scored 20 or more points in consecutive games since Mara Braun did so in 2023 against Purdue (21 on Dec. 10, 2023) and Grambling (26 on Dec. 13, 2023).
Against the Nittany Lions, McKinney set a career high threes made in a game, going 5-of-7.
This season, McKinney has improved her scoring average to 13.0 from 10.6 last season, and has scored 300 points in a span of 23 games compared to 372 in 35 last year. She's on track to surpass her 47 steals last season as she currently sits at a team-leading 45 this year.

MINNESOTA MARA

In Minnesota's last nine games, Mara Braun has been a spark on offense, averaging 13.3 points per game.
Braun matched her season high in 3-pointers made against Ohio State on Wednesday, going 4-9 from beyond the arc. The two she made in the third quarter contributed to Minnesota's 27 points in the frame.
Against Nebraska, Braun had a 9-0 run on her own putting away three 3-pointers.
Braun had a team-high 20 points in Minnesota's win over Wisconsin on Feb. 15.
She led the Gophers and scored a season-high 22 points at Penn State on Jan. 28.
At Iowa, she had 16 points and went 4-of-4 from the 3-point line.

SOPH THE GOPH

Graduate center Sophie Hart recorded her third double-double of the season against the Buckeyes, recording team highs with 18 points and 12 rebounds.
Hart also had double-doubles against Rutgers on Feb. 8 (17 points, 10 rebounds) and Samford on Dec. 1, 2025 (17 points, 10 rebounds).
The game marked her sixth this season grabbing 10 or more boards.
The Farmington, Minn., native has increased her scoring average to 10.7 points per game compared to last season's 8.9.
Hart has matched her season high in steals this season with 18, she previously set it during the 2023-24 season.
Hart is 39 points from reaching the 1,000 points milestone. She would be the 31st Gopher to do so.

IN THE ROTATION

Transfers Finau Tonga and Brylee Glenn have made an impact off the bench during the 2025-26 season for Minnesota.
Tonga is averaging 5.0 points and 12.7 minutes per game this year.
Tonga, a native of Taylorsville, Utah, came out big against Wisconsin on defense with two blocks.
Glenn is averaging 6.6 points and 23.1 minutes per contest. She's totaled 179 points as a Gopher and is 44 points away from hitting 1,000 career points.

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Players Mentioned

Amaya Battle

Mara Braun

Brylee Glenn

Grace Grocholski

Sophie Hart

Tori McKinney

Finau Tonga