Gophers find the going rough after Mara Braun’s injury in loss to Penn State

Wednesday night’s game against the red-hot Penn State Lady Lions was the first chance to see what life without Mara Braun is going to be like for the Gophers women’s basketball team.

After an 80-64 loss, the Gophers agreed it wasn’t going to be easy, that the adjustment is still ongoing, that things on the court are going to look different without the team’s leading scorer and defensive leader.

“We can’t replace her,” center Sophie Hart said. “I’m not going to go out there and start shooting threes. We have to stay within our skill sets, find new ways to score.”

Again, a process. The Gophers struggled early to break Penn State’s press — witness their 11 first-half turnovers, leading to 14 Penn State points — and they hit just two of 16 three-point tries in all. There were too many breakdowns on the defensive end that allowed the Lions one open three after another, and they responded by hitting 11 of them.

Minnesota got to the free-throw line 20 times but made just 10.

Add all that up and you have a wire-to-wire victory for Penn State, the sixth straight for the Lions (16-5, 7-3 Big Ten). Minnesota (14-7, 4-6) lost its third consecutive game.

BOXSCORE: Penn State 80, Gophers 64

Braun hurt her right foot when she landed on a defender’s foot early in the fourth quarter during Sunday’s loss at Illinois. She had surgery Wednesday morning.

Hours later, her teammates began the process of adapting to a new lineup that had enhanced roles for some reserves, including Janay Sanders’ insertion into the starting lineup.

“I thought we competed in large stretches of the game,” Gophers coach Dawn Plitzuweit said. “I thought we missed a lot of assignments, missed kids we normally haven’t. We’ve got to learn, grow.”

Penn State, which lost starting guard Tay Valladay to what appeared to be a significant knee injury early in the second quarter, got 18 points from Shay Ciezki (who hit four of nine three-point tries), 17 from Ashley Owusu and 16 from Leilani Kapinus. The Lady Lions shot 48.4%, had assists on 18 of 30 field goals, and got 13 points on the break and 19 off Gophers turnovers.

Sanders and Hart each scored 13 points, and Grace Grocholski and Amaya Battle each added 12.

It was a slow start that set the tone. Penn State led by 11 after the first quarter but outscored the Gophers by just five the rest of the way.

The Gophers got as close as within seven twice in the second quarter, within nine three times in the third. But Penn State ended the third quarter on an 8-4 run and started the fourth 15-6.

There were some interesting developments, however.

Without Braun in the lineup — and without the three-point shots falling — the Gophers began attacking the rim. Minnesota made 24 of 46 two-point shots and outscored Penn State 44-28 in the paint.

And the Gophers handled the pressure better as the game went on. Battle, who had seven rebounds and five assists go to with her 12 points, committed eight turnovers. But just two came in the second half.

The Gophers ran a lot of pick-and-roll offense, and they were relatively successful against a switching Penn State team that makes it difficult.

Ultimately, though? Too many missed open shots. Some blown coverages, 10-for-20 from the line.

A good bit of growth.

“We have to find a way,” Grocholski said. “We’re stepping into some new roles. But we have some quality players on this team.”

Hart said tough times like this are trying. “Sometimes a team can turn on itself,” she said. “With some players trying to get theirs. We haven’t had that.”