Gophers hold off Rockets to advance to second round

WBIT: MINNESOTA 65, TOLEDO 63 >> NEXT: VS. MISSOURI STATE, 2 P.M. SUNDAY, ESPN+

Battle scores game-high 18 points, Holloway hits three big buckets late for road victory

Minnesota post Sophie Hart shoots over Toledo’s Hannah Noveroske in the first half of the Gophers’ first-round WBIT game at Savage Arena on Thursday in Toledo, Ohio. Hart finished with 14 points and eight rebounds. MEGHAN BIELICH — GOPHERS ATHLETICS

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By John Shipley

jshipley@pioneerpress.com

Amaya Battle scored 18, one of three Gophers in double figures, and Niamya Holloway came off the bench to score three big baskets to help Minnesota stave off a late run from Toledo in a 65-53 victory in their first-round WBIT game on Thursday in Toledo, Ohio.

Grace Grocholski added 15 points, and Sophie Hart scored 14 to go with right rebounds as the Gophers (21-11) advanced to face Missouri State (26-8) at 2 p.m. Sunday in Springfield, Mo.

Holloway played only 8 minutes but they were huge. The sophomore whose career was sidetracked by a knee injury her freshman year, came in after the Rockets (24-9) cut an 11-point deficit to 49-45 with 6:31 left in the fourth quarter.

Holloway blocked a shot and scored the next two baskets as the Gophers went up 53-45, and her third basket capped a 13-2 run that gave Minnesota a 62-47 lead with 2:22 left.

“We had tight huddles and tried to bring energy,” Battle said of the Gophers’ response at crunch time. “We knew as long as we stayed together, we’d be OK.”

Holloway missed a pair of free throws but was 3 for 3 from the field with three rebounds in her 8 minutes.

“She really gave us a big boost,” Gophers coach Dawn Plitzuweit said of Holloway, “and that’s really important because at tournament time, you need different players to step up, and I thought she did that for us.”

Minnesota forced 19 turnovers that led to 25 points and held the Rockets to 36.5 shooting from the field (19 for 52) despite playing at Toledo’s Savage Arena, the result of Williams Arena being booked for state boys basketball this week.

But Minnesota came out of the gates fast and led by as many as 13 points in the first half.

“I think we just came out with energy and just stayed together,” Grocholski said. “The crowd was really tough. I think we set the tone in the first quarter and tried to bring that in the end.”

Senior Sammi Mikonowicz, playing in her last game for the Rockets, scored eight points and pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds for Toledo, and teammate Kendall Carruthers added a team-high 10 points.

Missouri State defeated Oral Roberts 107-76 Thursday. The Bears were led by Lacey Stokes’ 20 points.

The second-seeded Gophers should be the home team on Sunday, but the turnaround for Williams Arena from Saturday night’s high school games was too tight. Instead, the game will be at Great Southern Bank Arena, where the Bears are 15-0 this season.