As it turned out, Stony Brook — the Gophers women’s basketball team’s opponent at Williams Arena on Sunday — played like the veteran team Minnesota coach Dawn Plitzuweit saw on tape. The physicality the Seawolves brought to the court wasn’t a surprise, either.
But Stony Brook erasing a 12-point first-half lead and tying the game midway through the third quarter?
“I was like, ‘Oh, boy, what now?’ ” Plitzuweit said.
This: an 18-point run, led by three three-pointers by Mallory Heyer, that turned a tie game into a relative breeze. The Gophers won 67-54, beating a midmajor program filled with upperclassmen and grad transfers with legitimate NCAA tournament hopes.
Should it ever have been that dicey? Probably not. The Gophers (5-1) turned the ball over too much in the first half, gave up a few too many offensive rebounds to the Seawolves (5-1) and only shot 39.7% from the field.
But when it mattered, the Gophers got tough.
“I think they were just outplaying us,” said Heyer, who had 17 points, making four of six three-pointers, along with seven rebounds and two steals. “They were very physical. So I think we had to match their physicality, and I think we did that towards the end.”
Sophie Hart also scored 17 points, the center’s second game in a row with a career high in scoring. She shot 8-for-13 from the floor and added three blocks. Hart and Heyer were a combined 14-for-25 from the field, the rest of the Gophers 13-for-43. Amaya Battle had seven points, 12 rebounds and nine assists. Mara Braun scored 12.
With five minutes left in the third quarter, Stony Brook’s Kelis Corley hit a three-pointer that tied the score at 44-44. Over the next three-plus minutes, the two teams combined to miss 10 consecutive shots.
But then the Gophers took over. After a Seawolves turnover, freshman Grace Grocholski scored in the paint. Moments later, with the clock ticking down in the third quarter, Battle fed Heyer, who hit a three in rhythm, and the Gophers’ lead was five.
Then the Gophers scored the first 13 points of the fourth. Hart made one of two free throws, then scored in the post. Then Heyer hit consecutive threes. Then Battle hit in the paint, followed by Hart on a layup, and the Gophers, who held Stony Brook to 31.3% shooting, were up 18 with 4:47 left.
“I feel like we were taking good shots, shots we normally make,” Hart said. “But all it takes is a little spark, and, all of a sudden, things start flowing.”
The victory was the first of three straight nonconference games against teams with NCAA aspirations. The Gophers get Norfolk State on Wednesday and Drake on Saturday. Those two teams were NCAA tournament teams last season and are a combined 11-3 this year.
The Gophers might still be working on learning to play with new faces, a new coach and a new system. But on Sunday, when push came to shove, they responded.
“We showed a lot of toughness,” Plitzuweit said. “Toughness to get stops and intentionally attacking the rim. Then, when they overhelped, making some good decisions with it.”