Battle-tested big shot honors Gophers alums

She had to be overwhelmed by the pressure.

Amaya Battle was receiving a pass from her friend and fellow top recruit with the fourth-quarter clock winding down to take the biggest shot of the game in front of her former coach and 97 other program alumni, in the kind of test that will determine whether her team will go to the NCAA tournament.

It's moments like these that test an athlete's ability to handle circumstances, and unwanted thoughts, and the responsibility of making a play that could determine the direction of an entire program.

How did Battle rise to the occasion?

With a shot and a shrug.

"I'm not gonna lie," she said with a smile. "I don't remember it all."

Let's help her out.

The Gophers defeated a good Nebraska team 62-58 on Sunday at Williams Arena in part because Battle took a pass from Mara Braun and calmly drained a three-point shot with nine seconds left to provide the final margin of victory.

"I remember the clock was winding down and then Mara passed me the ball," Battle said. "But in my head, I didn't even realize that, like, it would have been a big shot. I'm just like, 'The shot clock is winding down,' and then I shot it. And after the game, I was like, 'That was reversed because it's usually me passing the ball to Mara.' "

That was Battle's charming way of downplaying a shot that was the definition of big, both in terms of reality and symbolism.

Battle and Braun were two of the top recruits of former Gophers coach Lindsay Whalen. Whalen returned to Williams Arena on Sunday to celebrate with fellow Gophers basketball alums.

Battle's big shot means Whalen's replacement as coach, Dawn Plitzuweit, has a record of 13-3 overall and 3-2 in the Big Ten. Victories like these, over a Nebraska team that was 4-1 in the conference entering Sunday, could bring the Gophers back to the NCAA tournament.

Battle wasn't thinking about all of that when she cut loose that last three-pointer, but that doesn't mean she didn't put a lot of thought into that three-pointer.

Last season, as a freshman, she had a long, inefficient motion. She knew she had to improve.

"I started with 500 form shots, literally the first day back from spring workouts," she said.

She completely overhauled her shot, going through the kind of drills that you teach children wanting to learn the game. Make shots one-handed, from short range, emphasizing proper hand motion and spin. Keep making shots until you can swish three-pointers without effort.

Who did she work with? She listed dozens of people, including Braun.

On Sunday, Braun, one of the best shooters in the Big Ten, made just two of 17 attempts from the field. The Gophers survived because of team defense, a strong showing from the bench, and because Battle made five of her nine field-goal attempts, including her only three-point shot, and contributed four rebounds and five assists.

"Mara really helped me a lot," Battle said. "I would shoot with her before practices, and shooting with someone who's a good shooter is really motivating."

So was the crowd. The announced attendance was 5,958, but it was a motivated group, willing to brave below-zero temperatures to see Whalen and her fellow alums.

Celebrating the past is more enjoyable when you can celebrate the present.

"I still have to go see her, but I'm so happy she's here," Battle said. "I think it means a lot. Just the way we played shows that what all of those alumni did for Minnesota is still going on and we really do appreciate what they did and we're going to represent Minnesota the same way."

The Gophers are over .500 in the Big Ten. They haven't finished above .500 in the conference since 2018, which is also the last time they qualified for the NCAA tournament.

Battle didn't have to calculate the importance of her last shot before she cut it loose. All she really needed to know was that she had put in the work, like so many of those who came before her.