Gophers women's basketball loses guard Katie Borowicz for the season

Sophomore guard Katie Borowicz will miss the season after undergoing surgery Monday to repair a non-athletic related back injury.

Gophers women's basketball coach Lindsay Whalen announced the news Monday morning, the day after the Gophers defeated Minnesota Crookston in a season-opening exhibition game.

Borowicz joined the Gophers mid-schedule last year after graduating early from Roseau High School, where she was a four-star recruit and a three-time all-state selection. She averaged 31.1 points, 6.8 rebounds and 6.0 assists as a junior for Roseau.

The 5-7 Borowicz appeared in 14 games with one start for the Gophers last season, averaging 3.9 points, 2.4 assists and 1.9 rebounds. Her .375 shooting percentage on threes was best among Gophers players with at least 30 attempts, and she shot .400 on threes in Big Ten Conference play.

As the NCAA has granted anyone who played in the COVID-19-shortened 2020-21 season an extra year of eligibility, Borowicz will have four years of eligibility remaining when she returns to action next season.

Borowicz was in line to play significant minutes off the bench as a backup to starting point guard Jasmine Powell. The Gophers will start a three-guard lineup in most games this season, with Powell, Sara Scalia and Gadiva Hubbard.

There is still some backcourt depth on Whalen's 15-player roster. Sophomore Alexia Smith appeared in 19 games with 12 starts last season, averaging 4.9 points.

Sophomore Caroline Strande appeared in 10 games as a freshman, and the Gophers added graduate transfer Deja Winters, who has had a strong camp.

The Gophers open the nonconference portion of their schedule against Jacksonville Nov. 9 at Williams Arena.