From start to finish Sunday in Illinois, the Gophers women's basketball team had one constant:
Center Rose Micheaux.
In a 69-62 loss to the Illini — in a game that was tied at 60 with 1 minute and 51 seconds left to play — Micheaux had her ninth double-double of the season: 24 points, 11 rebounds, 11-for-17 shooting, two blocks and an assist.
From start to finish, coach Lindsay Whalen tried to find the right combination to surround Micheaux.
In the fourth quarter it almost worked. With starters Amaya Battle and Mara Braun mostly sitting, with a lineup that mainly included starters Micheaux, Maggie Czinano and Mallory Heyer with reserves Isabelle Gradwell and Katie Borowicz, the Gophers rallied from down 10 early in the fourth to a 60-60 tie on Gradwells' basket with 1:51 left.
But the Gophers were outscored 9-2 the rest of the way by Illinois (18-6 overall, 8-5 Big Ten).
"We gave ourselves a chance to win," Whalen said. "I feel like we competed at a high level for the majority of the game. It was tied with a minute and change to go."
Thanks mainly to Micheaux.