MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — With Minnesota’s lead over Ohio State precariously trimmed to six points, Gophers point guard Amaya Battle found herself trapped at the basket by the Buckeyes with the shot clock dwindling and she deftly called a timeout to avoid a turnover.
The design of the inside attack is equally smart: pass the ball to the corner and let Mara Braun catch the ball inside the three-point line and shoot.
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Whoosh.
Braun’s goal with 1:30 left gave No. 23 Minnesota its ninth straight win, and Minnesota’s 74-61 victory over No. 10 Ohio State on Wednesday ranked the team in the Associated Press top 25 poll for the first time this season. The junior guard had seven points and two rebounds in the final 3 minutes and 12 seconds for the Gophers (21-6, 12-4), which has won the most in Big Ten play in 21 years.
“Everyone was telling me, ‘Keep shooting!’ They just instilled so much confidence in me and never let that waver,” said Braun, who didn’t find her rhythm in the first half and neither did the rest of the team. “I was like, ‘Okay, I need to relax, smile, get back to what I’ve been doing,’ and that’s what I did.”
The Gophers missed 29 field goals in the first half and trailed most of the way. After building a 16-point lead early in the fourth quarter, they watched the Buckeyes cut the deficit to two possessions before Braun hit a crucial baseline jumper.
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“Find a way, that’s what we talk about. Never give up. Never put your head down. I used to do that, but that’s not my player anymore,” Braun said.
After leading the Gophers in scoring in his first season and being named to the All-Big Ten All-Rookie Team, Braun’s sophomore season — his first under coach Dawn Plitzuweit — was interrupted by a broken foot. The Gophers finished the regular season 2-8 without her and made a splash in the Big Ten Tournament.
Then, after playing the first five games of last season, Braun re-injured his foot in practice and did not return and received a redshirt year. Although she maintained a high profile on the team, often providing guidance and encouragement from the bench, her absence once again put pressure on the Gophers, who finished the schedule with a 4-9 record, losing the first game of the conference tournament before recovering to win the WBIT championship.
The return of injuries has also put pressure again on Braun, one of the many reasons why she has been so good this season.
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“Just remembering what I went through, the hard days, and how I got through them,” she said. “Now I’m healthy and I’m playing with my best friends. What could be better than that?”
Braun had 18 points and nine rebounds as Minnesota defeated Ohio State for the first time since 2016, ending a 14-game losing streak in the series. Braun is shooting 46.5% (20 points on 43) from three-point range and 51.3% (39 points on 76) from the field, averaging 15.7 points over the past seven games. With all five starters averaging double-digit points per game, Braun has also benefited from less scoring pressure and is increasingly finding ways to contribute to wins through passing and hustle.
The impact of a positive attitude cannot be ignored either.
“It had a big impact not only on Marla’s performance, but also on our team’s performance because her energy was contagious,” Prizuvet said. “From the time we started in June to now, even if she’s not playing at the highest level that she wants to, her energy hasn’t wavered. She’s cheering her teammates on who are doing what we need to do and encouraging them to continue to get better, so her leadership this year has been outstanding.”
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