Gophers women snap three-game losing streak with big win over Indiana

Minnesota snapped a three-game losing streak and picked up a much-needed win for its NCAA Tournament hopes by beating Indiana 66-56 on Sunday afternoon at Williams Arena.

Amaya Battle led the way with 16 points, seven rebounds, and five assists for the Gophers (19-6, 7-6 Big Ten), reaching 1,000 career points in the process. Mallory Heyer had a double-double with ten points and 13 boards, and Sophie Hart added 14 points and eight rebounds.

After one quarter at the Barn, Indiana (15-8, 7-5) held a 17-13 lead. But the Gophers responded with a strong second quarter and led 29-27 at halftime. Dawn Plitzuweit's team then opened the third quarter on a 15-7 run to gain some separation. The Hoosiers cut it to a six-point game in the final minutes, but Minnesota was able to hold on and secure the win.

The Gophers are now 16-0 this season when holding opponents under 60 points. Indiana shot just 21 of 56 from the field (37.5 percent), and Minnesota won the rebounding battle 43-25.

The victory snaps a seven-game losing streak against Indiana for the Gophers. It's a game they really needed to have after losing three straight games and five of their last seven, even if those five losses came against four ranked teams and Iowa. This was a Quad 2 win that helps their case as a bubble team in the NCAA Tournament picture.

Minnesota was 29th in the NET rankings coming into this game, and was projected as a No. 10 seed by ESPN's Charlie Creme in his most recent bracketology. The Gophers don't have any Quad 1 wins, but they've handled their business by going 18-1 against unranked teams.

They'll get another chance to pick up their first marquee win of the season when they head on the road to take on No. 8 Ohio State on Thursday night.

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