5 Things We Learned From Minnesota’s Quarterfinal Loss to Ohio State

The Gophers' Big Ten tournament run is over after just one game. They lost 60-55 to Ohio State in Friday's quarterfinals. Here's what we learned.

Sophie Hart's huge game

Hart had a season-high 18 points against Ohio State in their lone regular-season matchup, and she continued to have success on Friday. She scored Minnesota's first six points and got her fourth double-double of the season with just 6:41 left in the second quarter. She finished with a career-high 19 rebounds to go along with 12 points on 5 of 8 shooting from the field. She was a force in the paint, but the Gophers weren't able to get their normal production from the perimeter.

Sophie starts the scoring! 🔥

📺: BTN pic.twitter.com/4uAv4GXq3n
— Minnesota Women's Basketball (@GopherWBB) March 6, 2026

Tori McKinney injury scare and foul trouble

McKinney took an awkward fall in the first quarter before the ball fell on her head, and she left the game shaken up after picking up her second foul. She went to the locker room before eventually returning to the bench, but she did not return to the game until the second-half. While Minnesota avoided disaster with McKinney's health, it felt like the momentum shifted after she left the game in the first-half.

She quickly picked up her third foul in the second-half, and she was limited to just 16 minutes and two points. Minnesota clearly missed her pressence all afternoon.

Defending Jaloni Cambridge

Cambridge leads the Big Ten with 23.3 points per game, and she led Friday's game with 17 points on 8 of 20 shooting from the field. Minnesota looked prepared for the conference's top scorer until McKinney's injury. Once their best perimeter defender went out of the game, Cambridge was able to get any shot she wanted.

Mara Braun's quiet game

Braun finished the regular-season strong with 10 or more points in six of her last seven games. She struggled to find her shot against Ohio State, and she didn't make her first field goal of the game until there was 1:16 remaining in the third quarter. She finished with just six points on 2 of 10 shooting from the field.

Gophers' turnovers

Minnesota entered Friday's game averaging the third-fewest turnovers in the country at just 10.3 per-game. Ohio State forced the 15th-most in the country at 21.9 per game. It was the Buckeyes that got the better side of the matchup, forcing 21 Minnesota turnovers. It was simply too many lost possessions to overcome.