A lot to like with first look of Gophers women's basketball in exhibition vs. Wisconsin-River Falls

The four freshmen who make up Gophers women's basketball coach Lindsay Whalen's freshman recruiting class — Mara Braun, Mallory Heyer, Amaya Battle and Nia Holloway — all live together in a four-bedroom apartment near the team's practice facility.

It was a rather loud place early Sunday morning.

"This morning we all woke up," Battle said. "And we were all screaming, 'It's gameday!' "

They had been waiting for this. Sunday the Gophers beat Wisconsin-River Falls 104-64 in an exhibition game at Williams Arena. Going against a Division III opponent, big numbers are to be expected and, perhaps, taken with a grain of salt.

But the freshmen — with the exception of Holloway, who is out for the season following a knee injury — had been looking forward to this for a while. Earlier this week, for Battle, the idea of donning a Gophers jersey and playing on Williams Arena's elevated court was keeping her up nights.

And they played like it.

Braun scored 23 points on 9-for-18 shooting, including 5-for-9 on three pointers. There was one point in the first quarter when, in less than a minute, she hit a step-back three, then hit a three on the break, then stole the ball and scored.

"It was fun," Braun said. "I had never played on that floor. It was fun to get used to the floor, the feel."

Battle scored 16 points on 7-for-8 shooting while leading the team in rebounds (seven) and assists (four).

There's more: playing in her first game at Williams in more than 600 days, Katie Borowicz, whose 2021-22 season was lost after skull surgery, scored 11 points. Maggie Czinano, a sophomore whose freshman season was stymied by injuries and illness, scored 13 points on 4-for-6 shooting, showing an ability to attack the rim.

Sophomore center Rose Micheaux had 13 points, five rebounds and two blocks. Graduate transfer Isabelle Gradwell — the only upperclassman in the starting lineup — scored 16 points. Heyer had six points, six rebounds and two blocks. Sleepy Eye's Cassie Heinrichs led UW-River Falls with 12 points.

For Whalen, the most important part of the day was getting her team — which has only three returning players from last season — used to the routine of a home gameday, starting with an 8:45 a.m. film session.

There was a lot to like. Led by Battle and Braun, the Gophers backcourt showed an ability to attack the paint, where the Gophers scored 58 points. Minnesota played with a good pace, and turned 20 Falcons turnovers into 27 points.

Braun showed her ability to score in bunches, getting 21 of her 23 points in the first half. Battle showed a nice control of the game.

"Mara is a scorer," Whalen said. "She got comfortable with her jumper early. Amaya had a great feel for when to set up and run the team and when to get downhill and get to the basket."

For Borowicz, it was a strong comeback after having surgery to relieve pressure at the base of her skull last Nov. 1.

"That's what I told her in the fourth quarter," Whalen said. "[A year ago] you were in surgery. Look how far you've come."

All of the Gophers have to continue improving, with next week's season opener against Western Illinois looming.

A relatively small item: everyone will have to hit the boards — UW-River Falls managed 11 offensive rebounds Sunday. Especially in the second quarter, the Gophers showed there is work to be done on defense.

But the bottom line, especially for the freshmen, was that it was fun.

"It was way more than I expected," Battle said.