Feb. 15 vs. Nebraska

After losing in overtime to their border rivals from Wisconsin on Feb. 11, the Gophers were hungry for a win against Nebraska Wednesday at the Barn.

Neither the Gophers nor the Cornhuskers could gain more than a 3-point lead within the first nine minutes of play, but a 5-0 run for Nebraska pushed them ahead. Gopher Mara Braun hit a 3 from the wing and sent the Gophers into the second quarter down just 1 point.

A 16-3 Minnesota run had the Gophers up 12 points with 4:50 to go in the second quarter, but Nebraska scored 5 points to cut into the lead. The Gophers ended the half with their largest halftime lead in conference play at 38-31.

Both teams dominated offensively in the third quarter. Nebraska used an early 9-0 run to take the lead, but graduate student Angelina Hammond hit a jumper to tie the game and settle the Gophers’ offense. Later in the quarter, Alanna “Rose” Micheaux hit her free throws to give the Gophers a 3-point lead with 10 minutes left to play..

The fourth quarter saw 10 lead changes, but a 4-point play from Nebraska guard Jaz Shelley tied the game at 92 points with 46 seconds left. Nebraska was sent to the free throw line with 16 seconds left and proceeded to miss both shots, leaving the door open for the Maroon & Gold.

Braun dribbled down the court for the Gophers with three defenders locked on her before driving to her right, where she found Cleveland State transfer Isabelle Gradwell in the corner. Gradwell knocked down her second 3 of the night and put Minnesota on top 95-92 with 1.1 seconds left, giving the Gophers their second home Big Ten victory of the season.

“Coach just said to get the ball downhill, so if I had an edge, I would have kept going, but you know like three people came off and they left her in the corner, which they should never do because you see what happened,” Braun said.

Minnesota’s victory over Nebraska was the team’s first win since they defeated Penn State on Jan. 18 and marks the Gophers’ third conference win of the season.

“As much as we could, I thought we stayed really composed, really poised, and that was what pulled us through in the end,” said Gophers head coach Lindsay Whalen.

Feb. 18 vs. Northwestern

The Gophers traveled south to Evanston, Illinois, following Wednesday’s thriller performance to take on the Northwestern Wildcats Saturday.

Minnesota started out on a roll holding a 14-11 lead but would end up being out-scored 22-19. The Gophers were able to get back into the game after senior Destinee Oberg made a pivotal bucket, but that did not last long because Northwestern’s Caroline Lau soon drove to the paint for a layup.

The Wildcats exploded in the third quarter, out-scoring the Gophers 22-12. Micheaux put a halt to Northwestern’s 8-point run after she hit a jump shot from the paint.

Northwestern prevented any Gophers’ run in the fourth quarter and scored 19 points, taking down the Gophers 76-62.

The Gophers managed to out-rebound the Wildcats 37-25, but ultimately it was the Wildcats’ ability to convert the Gophers’ 25 turnovers to 28 points that would result in the victory.

Braun led the Gophers with 12 points and six rebounds, compared to Caileigh Walsh, who led the way for the Wildcats with 22 points and one rebound.

The Gophers will travel to East Lansing on Wednesday to take on the Michigan State Spartans for their final away game of the season.

Feb. 5 vs. Illinois
The Gophers hit the road to take on the Fighting Illini Sunday, Feb. 5 at the State Farm Center.

Illinois came out fighting in the first quarter with an early 14-6 lead over the Gophers. The Gophers responded, scoring 8 straight points as sophomore Alanna Micheaux tied the game at 14. Illinois ended the quarter with a three and a bucket in the paint to take a 19-14 lead into the second.

Both teams came into the second quarter looking to run away with a lead. With zero turnovers during the 10 minutes of play, the Gophers outscored the Illini by 5, while also holding Illinois to just 5-of-23 shooting from the field. Minnesota was able to tie the game at 35 at the half.

Illinois’ defense dominated the third quarter, holding Minnesota to 2-of-13 from the floor. and after hitting six 3-pointers in the opening half, held the Gophers to 0-for-4 from the three-point line. Minnesota was able to cut the lead to just 4 points, but Illinois closed strong again and took a 53-45 lead into the fourth.

Illinois’ Adalia Mckenzie opened the fourth quarter with a layup, pushing the Illini’s lead to 10. The Gophers weren’t done, as they battled to tie the game at 60. A 9-0 run for the Illini and a few late free throws allowed Illinois to take the win over Minnesota 69-62.

Micheaux led the Gophers as she secured her ninth double-double of the season, registering 24 points and 11 boards. Makira Cook led Illinois with 21 points.

Feb. 8 vs. Ohio State
Without stopping back home in Minneapolis, the Gophers headed to Columbus, Ohio, to take on the No. 13 ranked Buckeyes.

The Gophers opened the game with two free throws from Micheaux. Ohio State responded with 8 unanswered points and stepped on the gas, scoring 21 of the game’s first 25 points, but Minnesota was able to get the lead down to 23-10 after the first 10 minutes of play.

The Buckeyes had two 6-0 runs in the second quarter. Mara Braun shined for the Gophers with a pair of 3-pointers and finished with 12 first-half points. The Buckeyes had the upper hand at the half after a 29-point second quarter, putting them ahead 52-33

Ohio State kept their foot on the gas with 28 points in the third quarter while only allowing 14 points from Minnesota. The Gophers closed the matchup by out scoring the Buckeyes 16-13 in the final quarter, but the final push would not be enough, as the Buckeyes went on to win 96-63.

As a team, Minnesota shot 23-of-57 from the floor and was led by Braun with 19 points, hitting three triples for the third game in a row. Ohio State was led by freshman Cotie McMahon.

The Gophers finished the week with a 76-70 overtime loss against their border rivals from Wisconsin, bringing their losing streak up to six.

After winning four consecutive matches, the No. 11 ranked Gophers took on the No. 2 ranked Hawkeyes in front of a sold out crowd at Maturi Pavilion Friday.

The Gophers had a tough start to Big Ten play, losing their first two matches to Northwestern and Nebraska in early January. Since then, they have been more successful; their last win was against No. 21 ranked Illinois on Jan. 28.

The Gophers’ match against Iowa was a battle of streaks for both teams. Iowa would come out to secure each of the first six matches of the night to put the dual in their control, but the Gophers fought to the end to claim the final four.

After Iowa had taken an 18-0 lead, 174-pound wrestler Bailee O’Reilly put the Gophers on the board with a 4-1 decision win against Iowa’s Aiden Riggins. O’Reilly’s opening-period takedown gave him the lead he would need to secure the match.

Gophers sophomore Isaiah Salazar won the next match with a 13-5 major decision over Iowa’s Drake Rhodes. Salazar took an early 10-1 lead, securing the first score before rolling up Rhodes for two four-point turns. Rhodes put up a fight in the third period and looked to have eliminated the bonus-point win, but Salazar managed to get an escape just before the horn sounded.

Redshirt Senior Michial Foy, 197 pounds, had one of the best performances of the night with a match-winning takedown as time expired to knock off returning NCAA finalist Jacob Warner, 2-1. After neither of them found points in the first period, Warner rode out Foy for the entirety of the second. During the third period, Foy stayed on top long enough to eliminate the advantage time, and he elected to cut Warner and go for the takedown instead.

The Gophers ended up losing the match 18-13 but put up a strong fight against one of the best wrestling programs in the country. With 24 national championships, Iowa has the second most NCAA titles in the nation (just 10 behind Oklahoma State), their most recent being in 2021.

The Gophers’ final regular season match of the season will take place in Madison, Wisconsin, against the Badgers on Saturday.

The Badgers have had a roller coaster of a season with a 7-7 overall record. Nebraska defeated them soundly 24-11 in their most recent match.

Once the regular season wraps up, the Gophers will head east to Ann Arbor, Michigan, for the 109th Big Ten Wrestling Championships set to take place March 4-5.

Feb. 1 vs. Rutgers
The Gophers headed east for a Wednesday night battle with the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. The Gophers challenged one of the Big Ten’s best without leading scorer (14.9 PPG) Dawson Garcia (bruised foot) and Braeden Carrington (leg fracture), who remained out with injuries.

Rutgers started the matchup with an 18-7 lead, but Minnesota responded with a 13-4 run over the next five-plus minutes to shorten their deficit, highlighted by freshman Joshua Ola-Joseph making his third three-pointer of the season.

The slow paced battle continued, and Rutgers managed to close the half with a 34-24 lead. Ta’Lon Cooper led Minnesota with 9 points and 6 rebounds at the break, while Ola-Joseph was close behind with 7 points.

The Scarlet Knights opened the second half on a 14-4 run and never looked back. Minnesota struggled to find any rhythm, and Rutgers’ lead only grew, ending at 90-55.

Minnesota’s loss was its biggest this season. It was their biggest loss in nearly two decades dating back to 2001 when they lost to Indiana by 36.

Freshman Joshua Ola-Joseph, who hit a career-high 17 points and added a career-high eight rebounds, led the Gophers.

Feb. 4 vs. Maryland
On the 95th anniversary of the first game ever played at Williams Arena, the Gophers were set to take on the Maryland Terrapins in a late-night showdown, but they remained shorthanded with Garcia and Carrington still rehabbing from their injuries.

By the end of the first half, the Gophers were trailing by 20 points. Freshman Pharrel Payne led the team with 12 points, but Maryland found too much success offensively, led by Donta Scott with 11 points.

With only 25 more points to add in the second half, it was a night to forget for the Maroon & Gold as they were dominated by the Terrapins losing 81-46.

Similarly to the Gophers’ game on Jan. 28 against Northwestern, much of this game came down to turnovers. Maryland forced 16 turnovers, while the Gophers forced only five.

Pharrel Payne led the Gophers with a team-high 14 points, adding 5 rebounds and 3 blocked shots, compared to Maryland’s Julian Reese, who led his team with 16 points and 5 rebounds.

The Gophers were scheduled to head south on Tuesday to take on the No. 3 ranked team in the Big Ten, Illinois, but the game was postponed due to some team members testing positive for COVID-19. The Gophers are scheduled to play Iowa at home on Sunday at noon.

The Gophers couldn’t find a rhythm Saturday, trailing nearly wire-to-wire in an 81-61 loss against Northwestern

After losing at home against Indiana on Wednesday, the Gophers traveled south to Evanston, Illinois, to play Northwestern, one of the top teams in the conference.

The Gophers were without leading scorer Dawson Garcia (bone bruise) and Braeden Carrington (stress reaction), who continue to deal with injuries. Freshman Pharrel Payne returned to the lineup Saturday and made his first career start after missing Wednesday’s game due to a concussion.

The Gophers had an early 11-7 lead on Saturday, but an 11-0 run for the Wildcats quickly gave them control. Four points from sophomore Treyton Thompson brought the Gophers within 8 points after facing a double-digit deficit during the early moments of the game.

The Wildcats went on a 9-point run to gain control of the first half, ultimately giving them the advantage at halftime with 45-28.

Northwestern took its largest lead of the game in the second half after a 3 pointer from redshirt senior Chase Audige brought the score to 61-36. Northwestern ultimately closed out their 10th home win of the season with a score of 81-61.

Minnesota’s Jamison Battle led the Gophers with 20 points compared to Northwestern’s Audige, who led the game with 24 points.

Northwestern’s patented defensive prowess shined through in the end. As a team, they had six blocks, with freshman Tydus Verhoeven responsible for half of them. They also forced 15 turnovers that led to 18 points, compared to the Gophers who only forced four.

The Gophers will head back to the court on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m., where they will take on the Rutgers Scarlet Knights on the road in Piscataway, New Jersey.

Despite struggling to add wins to their record, Gophers men’s basketball is continuing to develop into a promising young team.

There’s no denying the Gophers have struggled this season. With an overall record of 7-12, they’re currently in last place in the Big Ten. While this is a rather unfortunate year for the Gophers, there’s hope on the horizon with five true freshmen, three transfers and a head coach in his second year.

Being a rather new team, they have competed relatively well. Freshman Pharrel Payne leads the team with 20 blocks and transfer Dawson Garcia leads the team in points (14.9 per game) and rebounds (6.3 per game).

After losing to the No. 3 Purdue Boilermakers 61-39 on Jan. 19, head coach Ben Johnson said he is proud of the team for their efforts, but also acknowledged losing takes a mental toll on the athletes, making it difficult to find a rhythm.

“This group doesn’t have quit in them. So now we need to fight when our back is against it,” he said. “It’s such a mental game, and it isn’t easy seeing the ball go in just one time. The inner confidence comes from knowing you put in the time and we just have to stick with it.”

In their last game against Indiana, Minnesota was without Braeden Carrington (leg stress fracture), Pharell Payne (concussion) and Dawson Garcia (bone bruise). Other players were asked to step into roles they haven’t been playing. Johnson commented on his team’s confidence and specifically called out freshman Jaden Henley.

“They played relaxed. They didn’t worry about the play, positive or negative,” he said. “Jaden even played 32 minutes and did a heck of a job. I mean no turnovers, and that was my biggest thing. No turnovers against a team that was trying to climb up in them.”

Johnson said he knew last year he was going to have a whole new team this season, and he’s feeling comfortable heading into next season with this year’s teaching moments.

“We’re almost starting over again. So to be able to go through the good and the bad with a group that you’re going to be able to bring back, all of these are reference points and teaching points,” Johnson said.

With such a young team, the Gophers have time to rebuild and become more competitive in the coming years.

After battling to a four-point loss against Indiana with only seven scholarship players, the Gophers have plenty to build off of. They will soon travel to Evanston, Illinois, where they will take on the Northwestern Wildcats in their next matchup Saturday at 11 a.m.

Jan. 16 vs. Illinois
After their first Big Ten win of the season against Ohio State, the Gophers came home to take on the Illinois Fighting Illini.

The first half was a tight race between both teams as they went back and forth on the scoreboard, neither team letting the other take a prominent lead. The first half ended with the Gophers down by only three, the score 32-35.

The Fighting Illini exploded with a 12-0 run in the second half to give them the advantage later in the game, ultimately resulting in their victory, 70-68. The Gophers were out-rebounded 50-29 and out-scored 54-28 in the paint.

Dawson Garcia finished with a team-high of 17 points, which was his eighth-straight double-digit scoring output. Ta’Lon Cooper also recorded his fourth-straight double-digit scoring output with 16 points in the matchup.

Jan. 19 vs. Purdue
After a disappointing loss to Illinois, the Gophers returned to Williams Arena Thursday to host the No. 3 ranked Purdue Boilermakers.

In the first half, Purdue held the Gophers to 12 points. To make matters worse, Minnesota was playing without freshman guard Braeden Carrington, who suffered a right leg stress fracture and will be sidelined for approximately four weeks. His status will be reevaluated after that time.

The Gophers struggled throughout the night, mainly because of the Boilermakers’ 7-foot-4-inch center Zach Edey and 6-foot guard Braden Smith. Edey had 12 points, six rebounds and four blocks against the Gophers, whereas Smith led the Boilermakers with 19 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.

Minnesota’s two top scorers, Jamison Battle and Garcia, shot a combined three for 22 from the floor, with Battle going scoreless for the first time in his college career.

Head coach Ben Johnson emphasized the mental game of basketball when asked about the Gophers’ 61-39 loss on Thursday.

“There’s a reason why we talk about being in the gym all the time because in times of doubt, you have to be able to rely on your product and your work,” he said. “When you’re struggling, the inner confidence comes when you know you have put in the time and you just have to stick with it.”

Next on the Gophers’ schedule is a home game against the Indiana Hossiers at 8 p.m. on Wednesday.

Dec. 8 vs. Ohio State

After defeating Northern Iowa at home, the Gophers traveled to Austin, Texas, for their Sweet Sixteen matchup against Ohio State.

No team led by more than one point at the start of the first set until the Gophers finally went up 11-9. Ohio State cut the lead back to one point, but the Gophers were able to go up 17-13 after an Ohio State attack error and a Jenna Wenaas kill. The Buckeyes tied it at 22 before a 3-0 run from the Gophers as they clinched set one 25-22.

Minnesota started with a 6-2 run in set two, but the Buckeyes did not let the Gophers off easily and brought the set to 9-7. The set was tied at 13 before a kill and a block from Carter Booth put Minnesota up by two. Ohio State responded, going up 23-19, before ultimately winning set two 25-21.

Tied one set a-piece, the third set started with both teams splitting the first five points before a Buckeye run put them up by three. It tied back up at 14, but Ohio State took a 22-17 lead and forced a Minnesota timeout. Minnesota cut their deficit to 23-21, but the Buckeyes managed to close out set three 25-21.

Kills from Taylor Landfair and Wenaas, followed by an ace from Wenaas gave the Gophers the early lead in the fourth set. It was tied at five, just before Ohio State went off, gaining a six-point lead over the Gophers.

Minnesota shortened its deficit to 16-12, but it would get no closer the rest of the way, and Ohio State closed out set four 25-19 to win the match and advance to the Elite 8.

Thursday’s loss to Ohio State was Hugh McCutcheon’s final game as head coach for the Gophers Volleyball team. He will be moving into a new role as assistant athletics director/sport development coach. He finished his career leading the Gophers with a final record of 277-74.

Minnesota will have plenty of production to replace in the offseason as Naya Gros, Ellie Husemann, Rachel Kilkelly, CC Mcgraw and Miranda Wucherer will all be graduating from the program.

Gophers football head coach P.J. Fleck and the University of Minnesota agreed to a new 7-year contract extension, pending Board of Regents approval. The contract extension would keep Fleck as the head coach through the 2029 season.

Fleck would also receive a nearly $1 million raise, bringing his annual salary to about $6 million, according to reporting from the Pioneer Press. The last time Fleck received a contract extension was in November 2021; he received a 7-year extension with an annual salary of about $5 million.

Fleck is currently in his sixth season with the Gophers and holds an overall 43-27 record. He is fifth in program history for wins and sixth in Big Ten wins (26).

“This is all about cultural sustainability,” Fleck said. “This new contract is a commitment to continuing to change our best academically, athletically, socially and spiritually.”

Fleck, in 2019 and 2021, and former Gophers head coach Henry Williams are the only two coaches in program history to have multiple nine-win seasons. The 11 wins in 2019 were the highest number for a Minnesota team since 1904 when the team went 13-0 under Williams.

Fleck is 3-0 in bowl games, tied in wins with former head coach Glen Mason who holds a 3-4 bowl record.

“What P.J. and his staff have done in a short amount of time is remarkable.” Director of Athletics Mark Coyle said. “He has recruited and developed some of the best student-athletes to ever play at Minnesota, and his team continues to excel academically, athletically and socially … P.J. consistently builds a team that Minnesotans can take pride in and one that competes for championships.”

The Gophers finished their 2022 regular season with an 8-4 record and ended three of the last four seasons with at least eight wins. The last time the Gophers had eight or more wins in three consecutive seasons was from 1903-1905.

Fleck is currently leading the Gophers to their fourth bowl game under his tenure. Minnesota is set to play Syracuse in the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl on Dec. 29.

Dec. 2 vs. Southeastern Louisiana

Minnesota’s first round matchup with Southeastern Louisiana marked its 27th appearance in the NCAA volleyball tournament. The SE Louisiana Lady Lions entered the tournament for the first time.

The matchup started with both teams splitting the first six points. The Lions finally took a lead at 5-3, but an ace from Melani Shaffmaster and a Mckenna Wucherer kill put Minnesota up 10-6. The Lions were able to cut their deficit to three at 15-12, but the Gophers scored three of the next four to go up 18-13.

It was quite clear the Lady Lions were not giving up as they managed to cut their deficit to 22-20. Kills from Carter Booth and Shaffmaster helped to bring the Gophers to set point, and an attack error from SE Louisiana clinched the set for the Gophers 25-21

Set two had the Gophers coming out with their eyes on the prize, scoring five of the first six points. The Gophers began to throw points down and gained an 18-12 lead.Once again though, the Lady Lions weren’t finished as they cut their deficit to 21-17. The Gophers, however, were still in control and used that momentum to win the set 25-18.

Much like set two, the Gophers came right out of the gates with business to attend to as they scored seven of the first eight points in the third set. SE Louisiana cut the Gophers’ lead to 9-6 just before Minnesota exploded and went on a 7-2 point run to take a 16-8 lead. Wucherer closed out the set for the Gophers 25-14 with her ninth kill of the night, leading her team to the next round.

Dec. 3 vs. Northern Iowa

After advancing to the second round, the Gophers were matched up with Northern Iowa. The match opened with Taylor Landfair landing two pivotal kills and an ace from Elise McGhie. The Panthers responded by scoring six of the next seven points to take a 7-4 lead.

Northern Iowa was up 15-13 at the media timeout, but the Gophers would tally four of the next five points to bring the score to 17-16. At this point, the Gophers would not give up the lead, winning the set 25-18.

Minnesota came out strong in set two, scoring six of the first seven points. Five more points from Minnesota gave it a commanding 11-3 lead. Northern Iowa would get no closer the rest of the set as two blocks from Jenna Wenaas sealed it for the Gophers 25-16.

The Gophers threw down six of the first eight points to open the third, bringing their lead to 13-5. Minnesota was firing on all cylinders throughout the set as a 4-0 run brought the score to 17-6. The Gophers went on to win set three 25-15 after kills from Landfair and Shaffmaster sealed the deal.

Minnesota is now 28-9 in NCAA tournament play under head coach Hugh McCutcheon. The Gophers will advance to the Sweet 16 for the 20th time in program history.

The No. 2 seeded Gophers are set to play No. 3 seeded Ohio State on Thursday at 11:00 a.m. Minnesota has played Ohio State twice this season and currently holds a 1-1 record.