Amaya Battle scored a season-high 20 points and Tori McKinney contributed 17 to lead the Gophers women’s basketball team to a 71-48 victory over Indiana on Dec. 29 in Bloomington, Ind.
The victory was the fourth consecutive for the Gophers (10-3, 1-1 Big Ten), who were playing for the first time since Dec. 21. The loss ended a three-game winning streak for the Hoosiers (11-3, 0-2). It was the first home loss (in nine games) of the season for the Hoosiers.
Battle, who was averaging 7.8 points per game going into the game and was scoreless in the first quarter, scored 18 of her points in the middle two quarters.
The Gophers went into the game second in the NCAA and first in the Big Ten in scoring defense (50.7 points per game).
Sophie Hart had nine points and 12 rebounds for the Gophers, who had a 39-25 rebound advantage. Battle had eight rebounds.
Lenée Beaumont, a redshirt sophomore who missed last season because of knee surgery, led the Hoosiers with 17 points. Shay Ciezki, a senior guard who went into the game fourth in the nation in scoring average (24.3 points per game), added 16 points for the Hoosiers.
The Gophers, who defeated Indiana 66-55 last season February at Williams Arena, return to action Jan. 5 at No. 6 Michigan.
With Battle in a key role, the Gophers scored the first 17 points of the third quarter. Finau Tonga’s layup gave the Gophers a 51-28 lead with 1:35 remaining.
