MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota survived a home-court scare by No. 13 seed Green Bay, getting 21 points from Amaya Battle and using a 30-point fourth quarter for a 75-58 victory in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday.
Sophie Hart had 19 points and Mara Braun saved her best for the sizzling fourth quarter to finish with 16 points as the No. 4 seed Gophers (23-8) celebrated their first tournament appearance since 2018 with a memorable comeback.
Minnesota, which trailed 43-34 midway through the third quarter, will stay home to face No. 5 seed Mississippi in a second round game on Sunday.
Maddy Skorupski scored 19 points for the Phoenix (25-9), who simply ran out of steam against the relentless Gophers defense down the stretch.
Minnesota shot 12 for 16 in the fourth quarter with just one turnover. Green Bay went 4 for 15 with five giveaways in the final period and was outscored 41-15 over the final 16:09 of the game.
Green Bay posed a dangerous matchup for Minnesota, with four senior starters and a crisp and disciplined attack. Coach Kayla Karius was once an assistant on Gophers coach Dawn Plitzuweit’s staff at South Dakota, and the Phoenix have long been one of the nation’s best mid-major programs. This was their 21st appearance in the NCAA Tournament in the last 33 years.
Horizon League Player of the Year award winner Jenna Guyer, who grew up in the Twin Cities area and starred at Centennial High School, got her third foul in the first half and went scoreless until early in the third quarter while sitting for an extended stretch. She finished with five points and five rebounds.
Minnesota and Mississippi have played only once before, when the Gophers beat the Rebels in the National Women’s Invitation Tournament in Amarillo, Texas, in 1979.
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