Amaya Battle, Grace Grocholski lead Gophers to 65-60 win at Oregon

Amaya Battle matched her season high with 20 points and Grace Grocholski added 19 to help the Gophers women’s basketball team hold on for a crucial 65-60 victory over Oregon on Wednesday, Jan. 21, in Eugene, Ore.

The victory, which ended a two-game losing streak for the Gophers (13-6, 4-4 Big Ten), was the team’s first Quad 1 victory of the season. The Gophers went into the game at No. 16 in the NCAA NET rankings. Oregon (14-7, 2-6), which suffered its fourth consecutive loss, was No. 24. A Quad 1 victory is any victory over a top 30 team.

“It’s a really big win for us,” Gophers coach Dawn Plitzuweit told KFAN radio after the game. “To do it on the road is really hard. It was a good win for us. We battled and found a way to win.”

The Gophers, who led 44-42 going into the fourth quarter, opened the fourth quarter with an 11-0 run thanks to five points from Grocholski. A three-pointer by the junior, who was 8-of-10 from the field, capped the run and gave the Gophers a 55-42 lead with 6:46 remaining.

The Ducks responded with a 10-1 run to pull within 63-60 in the final minute. The Gophers had two turnovers, and the Ducks missed two shots before Grocholski’s steal with eight seconds remaining resulted in a layup by center Sophie Hart. The Ducks missed a three-pointer in the final six seconds.

“We built some momentum in the fourth quarter,” Battle told KFAN radio. “They got back in a little, but we finished it out. It was a really good, competitive game.”

The Gophers, who were just 13-of-33 from the field (39%) and were just 1-of-12 on three-point attempts in the first half, made 9-of-14 field goal attempts — including two-of-three from three-point range — in the fourth quarter. Junior guard Mara Braun had nine rebounds and sophomore guard Tori McKinney, who returned to the lineup after sitting out two games while in concussion protocol, had eight as the Gophers outrebounded the Ducks 42-36. Hart added 14 points for the Gophers.

“The way our young ladies defended and competed with energy was outstanding,” Plitzuweit said. “It was a very physical game, but our post game was very strong. From an effort standpoint, we were outstanding. Our execution at the end of the game was not so good. Hopefully, we’ll learn from that.”

BOXSCORE: Gophers 65, Oregon 60

Big Ten standings

Oregon led 14-11 after the first quarter as the teams combined for just six points in the final five minutes of the frame. The Gophers missed eight of their last nine shots in the quarter.

The Gophers opened the second quarter with a 6-0 run — with four points from Battle — to take a 17-14 lead. The Ducks didn’t score the final 3½ minutes of the half as a Grocholski field goal gave the Gophers a 25-24 lead with 1:17 remaining. Battle scored with seven seconds remaining to put her team up 27-24 at the break.

Battle scored eight points in the first four minutes of the second half to help the Gophers build a 38-32 lead, but the Ducks responded with a 7-0 run to go up 39-38. The Gophers outscored the Ducks 6-3 over the final 3½ minutes of the third quarter to take a 44-42 lead into the fourth.

It was the first victory in four games in the series for the Gophers. The Gophers, who were playing in Eugene for just the second time, lost at Oregon 101-73 in the second round of the 2018 NCAA Tournament, with Sabrina Ionescu leading the Ducks with 29 points.

The Ducks defeated the Gophers 76-70 at Williams Arena on Feb. 16, 2025.

Former Gophers forward Mallory Heyer, who entered the transfer portal in November after three years as a starter for the Gophers and transferred to Oregon in December, is on the Ducks roster. She is practicing and participating in team activities while redshirting this season.

The Gophers next host Wisconsin on Jan. 25 at Williams Arena. The Badgers, who defeated Oregon 94-92 in double overtime in Madison on Jan. 18, defeated No. 24 Nebraska 63-60 in Madison on Jan. 21.