Gophers make a Big Ten women’s basketball statement with 90-54 rout of Penn State

After watching her team suffer one of the most lopsided losses in its history last season, Dawn Plitzuweit had her Gophers women’s basketball team more than ready to take the fight to Penn State in the rematch Saturday at Williams Arena.

Penn State dominated with a 56-point win in March, but the Gophers got payback in the Big Ten home opener behind Tori McKinney’s career-high 25 points in a 90-54 win against the Nittany Lions. It was the Gophers’ largest margin of victory in a Big Ten game since 2016.

“I think it was on everybody’s mind,” Amaya Battle said about the last Penn State loss. “Even the players who weren’t here last year. They took it personal. We all kind of took it personal. We remembered it throughout prepping for them.”

The Gophers (13-1, 1-1 Big Ten) made a statement with their first conference win, which looked nothing like last year’s two losses to Penn State, including 80-64 at home. Minnesota’s players also learned from the first league game this season in an 84-65 loss at Nebraska on Dec. 8.

“We were playing well up until that point in time,” Plitzuweit said. “There has got to be a competitive edge to you to be a team that has success on the road in the Big Ten or at home in the Big Ten.”

Battle scored 17 points and Annika Stewart 15 for the Gophers, who scored 30 points on 24 turnovers. But the day belonged to McKinney, who shot 7-for-12 from the field and 8-for-8 on free throws.

The 6-1 freshman from Minnetonka left the game to a standing ovation as the Gophers led 80-40 with just under five minutes to play. The Gophers followed her lead early. McKinney had five points during a 9-0 start. The 18-7 lead in the first quarter surpassed Minnesota’s scoring from the entire first half of last season’s loss at Penn State.

Similar to last season, the Gophers were shorthanded against Penn State, most notably playing without standout guard Mara Braun. Michigan transfer Taylor Woodson also is out because of a season-ending knee injury.

But since replacing Braun in the starting lineup, McKinney has scored in double figures in eight of nine games and averaged 13.4 points a game.

“My teammates, they’re feeding me and giving me the passes I need,” McKinney said. “They’re just giving me the confidence. But at the end of the day, it all starts on the defensive end. When we get stops and when I can run in transition and we can run in transition, it’s just a great feeling.”

The biggest defensive adjustment came with Plitzuweit rotating the 6-3 Stewart and 6-5 Sophie Hart against Penn State’s 6-6 leading scorer Gracie Merkle, who was held scoreless Saturday after averaging 20.3 points. Moriah Murray also had just two points on 1-for-6 shooting; she was averaging 15 points entering the game.

The Nittany Lions (9-4, 0-2), who shot just 38% from the field, have lost four of their past five games, including 75-60 at Indiana on Dec. 7.