03/20/26 07:25:00
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03/20 19:23 CDT Minnesota sidesteps a major March Madness upset by surging past
No. 13 seed Green Bay 75-58
Minnesota sidesteps a major March Madness upset by surging past No. 13 seed
Green Bay 75-58
By DAVE CAMPBELL
AP Sports Writer
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.
Up next
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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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and
coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
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