Gophers women's basketball could have another standout freshman

A true freshman led Minnesota in scoring in the season opener.

Gophers true freshman Makena Christian in her college debut against North Dakota. | Picture via: University of Minnesota Athletics

Gophers women's basketball cruised to an easy 91-47 win over North Dakota in their regular-season opener, but they had a surprise leading scorer. True freshman Makena Christian led all scorers with 23 points.

Hailing from Hartford Union High School in Hartford, Wisconsin, Christian was the 52nd-ranked player in the class of 2025, according to ESPN. She was a decorated high school player, and she opened her collegiate career with the same success. She was 6 of 13 from the field, 5 of 12 from three-point range and 6 of 6 from the free-throw line.

6-foot, Gophers true freshman Makena Christian (Lomira, WI) in her college debut tonight vs. North Dakota

23 points (team-high)
FGs: 6/13
3P: 5/12
FT: 4/4
3 rebounds

It looks like Minnesota could have another young standout.

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— Tony Liebert (@TonyLiebert) November 5, 2025

"I thought she handled the emotions of playing in your first home contest at a really high level. I think she’s someone who’s very calm and steady anyway, but I thought she did some really good things on both ends of the court," head coach Dawn Plitzuweit said after the game.

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When longtime starting forward Mallory Heyer shockingly announced that she was entering the transfer portal less than two weeks before the season, she left behind 30.1 minutes and 8.6 points per game. Sophomore wing Tori McKinney seemingly took Heyer's spot in the starting lineup after she was originally projected as a top bench option.

McKinney averaged 10.6 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.5 assists last season as a true freshman. Christian looks like she has the potential to have a similar role this season. She played 21 minutes off the bench on Tuesday night, which was the most by any reserve on Minnesota's roster.

“I was excited to play with all my teammates, being in the barn was really cool, the atmosphere and energy was really cool, but the main thing was I was really excited to play with my teammates," Christian said after the game.

Minnesota had Heyer, Mara Braun and Amaya Battle stand out as true freshmen in 2022-23, Grace Grocholski averaged 10.8 points per game the following season as a true freshman, and McKinney was a major contributor last season. Will Christian lead the Gophers in scoring and average 23 points per game? Probably not, but it does look like she could continue a trend of having a standout true freshman in the rotation.

Despite losing a projected starter two weeks before the season, the Gophers went 10 deep on Tuesday night, and it looks like Plitzuweit will have a deep rotation once again in 2025-26.