Gophers comeback attempt falls short against Iowa, suffer third straight loss

Minnesota is still searching for its marquee win, as it looks to qualify for the NCAA Tournament.

Feb 28, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers forward Mallory Heyer (24) dribbles as Iowa Hawkeyes guard Kate Martin (20) defends during the first half at Williams Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Iowa no longer has Caitlin Clark, but it was clear the Hawkeyes are still a tier above the Gophers in the Big Ten. Minnesota lost 68-60 Thursday night, suffering their third straight loss.

Minnesota welcomed the Hawkeyes to the Barn and they brought along the biggest away crowd of the season. It seemed as if Iowa had just as many supporters as Minnesota, and it looked like the atmosphere was bothering the Gophers early in the game.

Iowa quickly jumped out to a 13-2 lead, proving it was going to be another tough Big Ten test for the Gophers. Amaya Battle and Mallory Heyer were the only two Minnesota players to make more than one field goal in the first half and the Hawkeyes took advantage, carrying a 32-21 lead into the half.

COUNT IT 😤@StremlowTaylor x @LucyOlsenbball x @sydneyaffolter1 #Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/vE3yiieQD5

— Iowa Women's Basketball (@IowaWBB) February 7, 2025

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The Gophers took advantage of a slow Iowa third quarter. The Hawkeyes shot 3-12 (25%) from the field as a team and Minnesota cut the lead to six, 43-37 heading into the fourth quarter, which was the closest the game had been since it was 8-2.

Minnesota continued to climb back and the emergence of Tori McKinney with 13 of her 16 points in the second half and Annika Stewart, who added all 14 of her's, helped the Gophers come all the way back to tie the game, but it was too little too late, as Iowa won 68-60. Minnesota never led for all 40 minutes of the game.

The Gophers proved once again that they can compete with some of the Big Ten's top teams, but they have another step to go if they want to start beating teams like Iowa, which they haven't taken down since 2017-18.

Iowa forward Hannah Stuelke led all scorers with 17 points, while McKinney led the Gophers will 16. The Hawkeyes out-rebounded Minnesota 44-13 and it was clear they just had an extra gear to find down the stretch.

Life in the Big Ten does not get easier for the Gophers, who will now look ahead to a Sunday home game against a surging 15-7 Indiana team. Now 18-6 overall and 6-6 in conference play, Minnesota will continue to look for some resume-building wins as it hopes to qualify for the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2017-18.