WBIT takes Gophers to another tough place to win: Missouri State

On Thursday the Gophers women’s basketball team, forced onto the road to play a first-round WBIT game at Toledo, handed the Rockets just their second loss at home this season.

Here’s what it earned them:

A chance to give Missouri State its second home loss in two years.

It just doesn’t get any easier.

The Gophers earned a No. 2 seed in the WBIT but have been pushed out onto the road for the tournament’s first two rounds because of the boys basketball state tournament at Williams Arena.

The Gophers beat the Rockets 65-53. Now they get a Bears team that is 26-8, a team that finished tied with Murray State for first in the Missouri Valley Conference during the regular season. Four teams from that conference made either the NCAA tournament (Murray State) or the WBIT. Both Missouri State and Belmont won their first-round WBIT games.

The point is, the Missouri Valley is a strong conference and the Bears are a tough test.

“I don’t know much about them,” Gophers guard Amaya Battle said after the Toledo game. “But I’m sure the staff will put together a great scouting report.”

The Gophers (21-11) broke a three-game losing streak with Thursday’s win. Now they’re looking for their first winning streak since early January.

It is the second meeting between the two teams. The Bears beat the Gophers — then ranked No. 23 — at Williams Arena in November of 2019.

Missouri State hasn’t lost at Springfield’s Great Southern Bank Arena this year, going 15-0. They’ve won 18 straight home games overall, losing just once in 30 games there since the start of the 2023-24 season.

A Gophers team that appears to have regained its defensive cohesion Thursday will be tested by a team that shoots nearly 46% overall and 36% on threes, a team that uses balance – four players average in double figures, but none more than Lacy Stokes’ 14.4 — instead of a go-to star.

The Gophers scored 25 points off Toledo’s 19 turnovers Thursday, holding the Rockets to 36.5% shooting.

But the Gophers will need to be more efficient to win at Missouri State. The Gophers beat Toledo despite going cold in the second and third quarters and finishing just 2-for-14 on three-pointers; sophomore Grace Grocholski was the only Minnesota player to hit one.

After the game Gophers coach Dawn Plitzuweit said she liked a lot of the looks her team got. Eventually, she said, those open looks will start to fall.

“For the most part we got really good shots,” Plitzuweit said. “Even from the free throw line, and we didn’t make those either.”

The Gophers went 9-for-16 from the line. They rebounded to shoot 8-for-12 and hit one of two threes while scoring 20 fourth-quarter points. Now they’ll have to keep that going in Springfield.

WBIT second round

2 p.m. Sunday at Great Southern Bank Arena

TV, radio: ESPN Plus, 96.7-FM

Six players scored in double figures for No. 3 seed Missouri State (26-8) in its 107-76 victory over Oral Roberts in the first round. The Bears shot 53.4% overall and made 14 of 27 three-pointers. Lacy Stokes led the way with 20 points, with Paige Rocca hitting five of six threes. The No. 2 seed Gophers (21-11) will be looking to win consecutive road games for the first time this season.