Gophers Make It Nine Straight, Knock Off No. 10 Ohio State

The Gophers extended their win streak to nine in a row with a 74-61 win over No. 10 Ohio State at Williams Arena on Wednesday night. Here's what we learned.

Sophie Hart' underrated value

The Gophers are often led by their four starting guard. Mara Braun, Tori McKinney, Amaya Battle and Grace Grocholski generate most of the headlines, but Hart has quietly made significant improvements throughout the year. When they need a bucket, they can dump the ball into the post, and Hart will deliver a good shot. She came up big against the Buckeyes with a season-high 18 points on 8 of 16 shooting from the field, with 10 rebounds.

Sophie Hart tonight against No. 10 Ohio State

18 points (season-high)
FGs: (8-16)
10 rebounds
2 assists
2 steals

pic.twitter.com/HPvn6ddC7L
— Tony Liebert (@TonyLiebert) February 19, 2026

Unselfish roles

The Gophers have one of the best starting lineups in the Big Ten with all five players averaging 10 or more points. They have a mixture of veterans, underclassmen, and even one former transfer, but there are zero egos. They continue to show the ability to move out of the way and lean on each other, depending on whose night it is. Adding Brylee Glenn and Finau Tonga off the bench, every player in Minnesota's rotation knows their role, and they operate it at a high level. That will make them very difficult to beat in any tournament setting this postseason.

Dominant defense

Minnesota's standout defense still came into Wednesday night with the top-ranked unit in the Big Ten, and 21st-best in the country, allowing just 56.5 points per game. They had one of their best defensive performances of their win streak. Ohio State has averaged 83.4 points per game, and they were limited to just 61 points on 39.3% shooting from the field. The Gophers' defense makes them a tough matchup for any team in the country.

Starting 6 of 31 from the field

The Gophers did not get off to the start they would've hoped for on Wednesday night. They began the game shooting an abysmal 6 of 31 (19.3%) from the field as a team. Despite trailing by as many as nine points in the second quarter, they did not panic. This team continues to show the ability to overcome adversity, and they battled through a slow start again.

Mara Braun is all the way back

If the Gophers want to reach their full potential this March, they will need Braun to play at her best. She was in double figures for the sixth straight game against the Buckeyes, and she is clearly inching back towards the form she had before back-to-back season-ending injuries. She had 18 points and 9 rebounds against Ohio State on 6 of 12 shooting from the field. She looks like one of the best scorers in the Big Ten.