Gophers head to WNIT title game with point guard Amaya Battle at a new level

By her own admission, Amaya Battle plays basketball with joy, on instinct.

In the moment.

There have been more than a few times this season, after she has made a key play at an important moment for the Gophers women’s basketball team, when Battle will freely admit not even really remembering the play.

“When I’m out there, I’m just out there, hooping,” Battle said Friday. “My mind is clear.”

But the game, undeniably, is getting slower for the Gophers’ sophomore point guard.

Battle was speaking via Zoom call before the Gophers had their final practice of the season. Saturday afternoon, Minnesota (20-15) will play St. Louis (21-18) in the WNIT championship game. The game will be played on the campus of Southern Illinois-Edwardsville, about 25 miles northeast of St. Louis.

Gophers coach Dawn Plitzuweit said every effort was made to find a suitable location in the Twin Cities area to hold the game. But Williams Arena is booked with a robotics convention and no other apt location could be found.

It is a chance for the Gophers, whose season has had both ups and downs, to end on a high note. There is no question that Minnesota — which has won five of six games since the regular season ended — has benefited from the experience.

Both individually, as in Battle’s case, but also as a team during a whirlwind of traveling that had the Gophers playing at Wyoming — in the arena with the highest elevation in Division I — to Troy, Ala. And finally, to the St. Louis area, where they will play their third game in six days.

The youngest team in the Big Ten this year, the Gophers have grown closer while on the road, growing as a team while winning close games on the road during the tournament.

“Since the Big Ten tournament, they’ve been in six straight games that are win or go home,” Plitzuweit said. “It’s been a great opportunity for us to play in that type of environment.”

It can be a cliché to say an opportunity like the WNIT can be a springboard into the next season. But for this young team? Certainly.

Battle has seen the game slow down as her numbers rise. Grace Grocholski — who hit what was essentially the game-winning three-pointer with 40 seconds left at Troy after a pass from Battle — has learned to play under pressure, and Saturday will tie Rachel Banham for most games ever started by a Gophers freshman (36).

Mallory Heyer, always consistent on defense and on the boards, is attacking the rim more. Nia Holloway has seen her minutes per game jump, her scoring and rebounding nearly double. Her steal and two free throws late in the North Dakota State game sealed the Gophers victory.

Center Sophie Hart has scored in double figures in every WNIT game and had her first double-double at Troy. Maggie Czinano had key contributions, especially on defense, in victories over Wyoming and Troy.

“Coach P talked about building momentum to next year, and this will help us,” Heyer said. “We made it to the championship — we’re ready to win this thing.”

And, as Heyer said, much of that success has come without leading scorer Mara Braun, who missed the last two games after re-injuring her right foot and will likely not play Saturday.

Perhaps the biggest jump has come from Battle, who has averaged 20.3 points, 4.7 points and 4.8 assists starting with the Big Ten tournament. In the WNIT she has scored 17 points per game.

Against North Dakota State, with the Gophers down three with 2:18 left, Battle scored five points in the Gophers’ 7-2 finish to the game. In Wyoming, she had 14 of her 29 points in the fourth quarter. With the Gophers down a point early in the fourth, she scored every Minnesota point in a 9-2 run that put the Gophers up for good.

“She’s still playing hard and fast, but the game is slowing down for her,” Plitzuweit said. “She’s making really good decisions under pressure. She has benefited with the extra game experience. It’s been fun to watch.”

And to be a part of.

“I think we’ve all benefited,” Battle said. “To see where Dawnie P has taken us, it’s crazy where we are. I’m super proud of the team.”