The Minnesota Golden Gophers nearly let another one slip away under full-court pressure, but this time, they held on - barely. In a game that had all the makings of a late-night collapse, the Gophers escaped Eugene with a 65-60 win over Oregon, improving to 13-6 overall and climbing back to .500 in Big Ten play at 4-4.
The return of Tori McKinney was a welcome sight for Minnesota, especially on the defensive end. After missing the previous two games with concussion symptoms, McKinney was back in the lineup wearing a shoulder and neck brace that clearly affected her offensive rhythm - she went just 1-for-8 from the field and finished with four points.
But her impact showed up elsewhere. She grabbed eight rebounds, second-most on the team, and brought a level of defensive intensity the Gophers have missed in her absence.
Offensively, Minnesota leaned on Amaya Battle early and Grace Grocholski late - a formula that ended up being just enough. Both teams struggled to find their footing early, shooting just over 30% in the first quarter. Oregon took a narrow 14-11 lead into the second, but the Gophers quickly responded with a 6-0 burst fueled by two Battle buckets and a Sophie Hart layup.
From there, Minnesota imposed its will in the paint - a recurring theme in their wins this season. All 16 of their second-quarter points came inside, a critical response on a night when their perimeter shooting was ice cold. The Gophers went just 1-for-12 from deep in the first half but still took a 27-24 lead into the break by dominating the interior.
The third quarter followed a similar script. Minnesota opened with another run, only to see Oregon counter with a 10-2 push that briefly gave the Ducks the lead.
The teams traded blows the rest of the way, with the Gophers edging ahead 44-42 by the end of the frame. A big reason they stayed in front?
Offensive rebounding. Minnesota pulled down five in the quarter, including two from Finau Tonga that led to four second-chance points.
Battle continued to carry the scoring load, adding seven more to bring her total to 15 heading into the final quarter.
That’s when Grocholski took over.
After two quiet games, the sophomore sharpshooter came alive in the fourth, scoring 10 of her 19 points in the final period. She bookended an 11-0 Minnesota run with a layup and a clutch three-pointer that stretched the lead to 55-42 with just over six minutes to play.
She wasn’t done. Grocholski added five more straight points to push the lead to 62-50 with 2:35 remaining.
At that point, it looked like Minnesota had this one locked up.
But then came the chaos.
The Gophers turned the ball over five times in the final 2:17 against Oregon’s press, nearly handing the Ducks a comeback win. A series of miscues - including a baffling inbounds pass to Hart in the backcourt and a turnover that gave Oregon a 2-on-1 fast break - almost unraveled everything.
Fortunately for Minnesota, the Ducks couldn’t capitalize. A missed layup, a clutch Battle block, and a wild final scramble that ended with Hart laying it in with eight seconds left sealed the deal.
It wasn’t pretty, but it was a win - and an important one.
Battle led all scorers with 20 points, Grocholski added 19, and Hart chipped in 14. No other Gopher scored more than four, but Minnesota didn’t need balanced scoring thanks to their dominance inside. They outscored Oregon 46-16 in the paint, a stat that defined the game.
More importantly, this one goes down as a Quadrant 1 win - Minnesota’s first of the season, moving them to 1-5 in that category. That could carry weight as the NCAA Tournament picture begins to take shape.
Next up: a Sunday showdown with Wisconsin at Williams Arena. The Badgers are coming off back-to-back nail-biters, including a double-overtime win over Oregon and a 63-60 victory against No.
24 Nebraska. They’ve been tough at home but shaky on the road, dropping games to Marquette and Northwestern - teams the Gophers handled with ease.
We’re not in must-win territory just yet, but Sunday’s matchup feels like a tone-setter. If Minnesota wants to make a serious push toward March, holding serve at home against a beatable rival is a box they need to check.