Gophers women's basketball bounces back with blowout win over Alabama A&M

Minnesota is back in the win column after Sunday's disaster against the Terrapins.

Jan 31, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers head coach Dawn Plitzuweit reacts during the first half against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Williams Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

The Gophers are back in the win column after Sunday's double-OT disaster against Maryland, with a dominant 82-44 blowout win against Alabama A&M on Wednesday night at the Barn.

Alabama A&M was voted to finish second in the preseason Southwest Athletic Conference (SWAC) media poll. They've faced a nonconference gauntlet with game against Ole Miss, UAB, Alabama, Nevada, Cincinnati and Ball State. All three of its wins came against non-Division-I opponents.

It took a while for Minnesota to get going, but second-quarter explosion opened the game wide open. Four threes from true freshman Makena Christian led a 30-7 run for the Gophers. They carried a comfortable 47-23 lead into the locker room.

MAKENA CHRISTIAN IS ON FIRE 🔥
She drills her second triple in less than 60 seconds!

📺: B1G+ pic.twitter.com/FBVRkA7opJ

— Minnesota Women's Basketball (@GopherWBB) December 11, 2025

Subscribe: Sign up to receive the free Gophers On SI newsletter

Mara Braun continues to work her way back to her past form. She had eight points on 4 of 11 shooting with three rebounds and five assists in 27 minutes of play. It marked her fifth game this season in single digits, which is something she did 11 times in the three previous seasons combined.

Grace Grocholski and Tori McKinney continue to be Minnesota's most consistent offensive players with 13 and 11 points, respectively, on Wednesday night. The Gophers forced 16 Alabama A&M turnovers, which resulted in 25 points. They assisted 27 of their 34 field goals, and cruised to an easy 82-44 win.

Six of Minnesota's seven wins have come by 30 points or more. They've proven that they can demolish low-major opponents this season, but their win over Marquette is the only one against a team in one of the five major conferences. The next chance to prove themselves against high-major competition will be on Dec. 29 against Indiana.

Now 7-3, the Gophers will have three days off before hosting Wyoming on Sunday afternoon at the Barn. That game tips off at 5 p.m. CT, and it will be broadcast on Big Ten Network+.