If the Gophers’ first taste of Big Ten play this season had proven anything, it’s that they could hang with some of the tougher women’s basketball teams in the conference. They just hadn’t quite been able to finish them off.

The Gophers took then-No. 7 Maryland to double overtime last month before falling by a point. On Monday, they got out to a quick start, building a nine-point lead after the first quarter on No. 9 Michigan in Ann Arbor before eventually falling by 10 points.

Sunday, the Gophers put that narrative to bed.

In a tight, back-and-forth tilt, the Gophers, led by junior Grace Grocholski, prevailed, knocking off No. 21 Southern California 63-62 at Williams Arena. It was the first win over a ranked team for the program since 2019, snapping a 36-game losing streak against ranked foes.

“We always say we’re going to learn and grow from those games, and I think this is one where we did that,” Grocholski said. “At the end of the game, I don’t think we were flustered, and I think those two games definitely helped us get this one.

Though the Gophers missed five late free throws that would have given them some breathing room, they were able to stave off USC’s comeback attempt — which included a three-pointer right at the buzzer — to move to 12-4 on the season and 3-2 in Big Ten play.

It was a game marked by long runs by both teams and lead changes throughout.

The Gophers couldn’t have started out much better, scoring the first 10 points to build an early cushion. They had an eight-point lead after the first quarter. But in a dominant second quarter, the Trojans went on a 19-0 run, turning a 23-13 deficit into a 32-23 lead. USC’s six three-pointers in the second accounted for most of their points in the quarter.

“Most of them were contested at a pretty high level, and they still made them,” head coach Dawn Plitzuweit said of the three-point attempts. “I thought they played at a really high level.”

USC finished with 14 threes, including five each from Kara Dunn and Jazzy Davidson, who combined to account for 48 of the Trojans’ 62 points.

The Gophers finished with five three-pointers, all from Grocholski. She had a team-leading 25 points, including a layup late in the third as part of a 14-0 run that gave Minnesota the lead.

An impressive 10-second span in the fourth quarter saw her add another five points, helping the Gophers build their advantage.

“She just made some toughness plays,” Plitzuweit said.

While both teams went on long scoring runs, center Sophie Hart said she thought part of the reason the Gophers came out on top as opposed to previous games was how they weathered those runs.

“Our shots necessarily weren’t falling, but we got 18 (offensive) rebounds and played hard and intense. And even when things weren’t going our way, I didn’t feel like we ever dipped, even when they made some really, really tough shots. So I was proud of our team for that,” Hart said.

Hart had 15 points, while Mara Braun collected a team-high 10 rebounds and Grocholski had eight.

“Just really, really proud of our young ladies,” Plitzuweit said. “I think we had a lot of players really step up and make a lot of good things happen for us, and certainly something that we can certainly build upon going forward.”

Related Articles

Gophers take another running back transfer in Elon’s TJ Thomas

Women’s hockey: Gophers rally to sweep Mavericks

Men’s basketball: St. Thomas defeats Oral Roberts

Men’s hockey: Tommies thump Mavs, seize share of CCHA lead

Men’s hockey: Gophers swept at Penn State