Minnesota Women’s Basketball Season Ends in Sweet 16 Blowout Against UCLA

Detroit Lakes, MN (KDLM) – The Minnesota Gophers women’s basketball team saw their promising season come to a close Friday evening, falling to top-seeded UCLA 80-56 in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Tournament at Golden One Center.

The four-seeded Gophers kept it competitive in the first half, trailing by just five points at the break and giving fans reason to believe an upset was possible. However, UCLA came out of the locker room with a vengeance in the second half, outscoring Minnesota 46-27 to pull away decisively and end the Gophers’ tournament run.

Grace Grocholski led Minnesota offensively, finishing with 12 points in what turned out to be her final game of the season. Despite her efforts, the Gophers struggled to find consistent scoring against the Bruins’ suffocating defense down the stretch.

The loss brings the curtain down on what was still a strong season for Minnesota. The Gophers finished with a 24-9 overall record, a mark that earned them their tournament berth and spoke to the growth of the program. Reaching the Sweet 16 as a four-seed represents a meaningful milestone, though the manner of Friday’s defeat will no doubt fuel the team’s motivation heading into the offseason.

UCLA won another game and is now in the Final Four.