Dawn Plitzuweit wins her 400th career game as a head coach
Just over a week ago I wrote in a preview of the Big Ten season that the Minnesota Golden Gophers women’s basketball team needed to get off to a good start in their first three games, as the schedule gets considerably more complicated in just a few weeks. Mission accomplished. Minnesota came back from an 11 point deficit late in the third quarter to defeat Illinois 68-61 at Williams Arena to win their third consecutive conference game and move to 15-1 overall and 3-1 in Big Ten play on the season. Dawn Plitzuweit won her 400th career game as a head coach and is now 35-17 in a season and a half coaching the Gophers.
Minnesota jumped out to an early lead on the Illini going up 7-0 in the first three minutes of the game. But, the Gophers would give up that lead as Illinois could finish the quarter on a 16-6 run to take a 18-15 lead after the first ten minutes. Minnesota struggled early making some easy shots in the lane, and could not convert.
The second quarter was another back and forth affair. A Grace Grocholski three pointer knotted the score at 18 early in the quarter and the teams would trade baskets and misses the rest of the quarter. No team took larger than a three point lead in the quarter and the teams would head to the locker room tied at 27. Both teams shot poorly in the quarter with Illinois only hitting 25% of their shots to the Gophers 33%.
The third quarter would be a rough one for the Gophers. Their ice cold shooting continued, while the Illini found the bottom of the bucket repeatedly. After a basket by Illinois’ Genesis Bryant with 2:00 left in the third quarter, Illinois had taken the largest lead of the game up 11 points. Minnesota began their comeback with five straight points on baskets by Grocholski, Annika Stewart and a free throw from Amaya Battle, but an Illinois layup at he buzzer put them up eight points heading into the final quarter.
The fourth quarter was the complete inverse of the third quarter for both teams. Minnesota suddenly was finding the bottom of the basket, and their tight defense clammed up the Illini offense and allowed the Gophers to come storming back.
Stewart would hit a pair of three, and freshman guard Tori McKinney came alive. After not coring in the opening half, she erupted for ten of her 11 points in the fourth quarter once Coach Plitzuweit moved her to point guard in favor of Battle. Still the Illini had a four point lead with three minutes to play in the game at 59-55.
But the Gophers would finish with a flourish. They would outscore Illinois 13-2 in the final three minutes. A pair of McKinney free throws and a Grochoski layup knotted the score at 59 with 2:15 to play. The Illini had chances to regain the lead but the Gophers defense clamped down hard and after a pair of Grocholski free throws with 1:26 to play game them a 61-59 lead they never relinquished it. Minnesota would win the game at the free-throw stripe as in the last two minutes of the game they would go 9-10 to ice the 68-61 win.
Grocholski would lead the Gophers with 19 points and for the second consecutive game played all 40 minutes. Battle, Stewart and McKinney each finished with 11 points, and Mallory Heyer recorded her first double-double of the season with 10 points and rebounds. Minnesota forced eight Illini turnovers in the second half while only committing two—a key reason for the comeback.
The Gophers sit at 3-1 in Big Ten play which is currently good enough for 5th in the conference. Minnesota hosts 0-4 in Big Ten Rutgers on Wednesday in another virtual must win game before getting ready to hit the road the following week against their first incredibly tough test of the season at #8 Maryland.