The Gophers are advancing to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2005.
With No. 4 seed Minnesota’s second-round matchup against No. 5 seed Ole Miss tied 63–63 and 3.5 seconds remaining on the clock in regulation, Grace Grocholski inbounded the ball on the elevated floor at the Barn, just inches away from the Gophers’ bench.
She found Battle in the short corner. Battle, the local kid from Hopkins who won two high school state championships on the same floor in Minneapolis, took two dribbles, stepped back and lobbed a high-arching jumper over a defender.. She cashed it. Minnesota went on to hold Ole Miss scoreless in the final 0.8 seconds to win 65–63 and advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2005.“Any basketball player when you’re shooting on your own, you’re thinking ‘3, 2, 1,’ and you throw it up there and see what happens,” Battle said. “It was real life today.” “She hits those shots every day in practice over our scout guys,” Gophers teammate Mara Braun said after the game. “Honestly when she took that shot; it took her two dribbles into her pull-up. Everyone, I think, knew that it was in. ... I’m just so proud of her.” Battle is Minnesota basketball royalty. She earned five varsity letters at Hopkins High School, a basketball dynasty located about 12 miles west of Williams Arena. Battle was high school teammates with Dallas Wings star Paige Bueckers at Hopkins and won a state championship with her in 2019 as a freshman. Battle won another high school title in ‘22—again at Williams Arena. As a four-star recruit, Battle had plenty of options to play at the next level but chose to stay home at Minnesota. She stuck with the program when Dawn Plitzuweit took over after former Gophers star Lindsay Whalen stepped down as the head coach in 2023. After choosing the maroon and gold for four years through thick and thin, Battle penned the best moment in Gophers women’s basketball history since Whalen led the program to the 2004 Final Four. “This whole season is a perfect way to wrap up the four years here,” Battle said. “We had a lot of ups and downs. ... It’s bittersweet I’ll never play at the Barn again, but I’m leaving it with a win and going to the Sweet 16.”No. 4 seed Minnesota now advances to the Sweet 16 to take on the winner of No. 1 seed UCLA and No. 8 seed Oklahoma State.Tom Dierberger is the Deputy News Director at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in November 2023 after stints at FOX Sports, Bally Sports and NBC Sports. Dierberger has a bachelor’s in communication from St. John’s University. In his spare time, he can be seen throwing out his arm while playing fetch with his dog, Walter B. Boy.
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