Gophers women's basketball works overtime to beat Arizona State 66-59

As the Gophers walked back onto the court for overtime Friday in Tempe, Ariz., point guard Jasmine Powell had just one thought.

"We have to win this game,'' Powell said. "We came, we'd battled every minute, and we have to win this game.''

Thanks to Powell, they did.

Just three days after a disappointing season-opening loss to Jacksonville, the Gophers beat Arizona State — a team picked by many to finish in the top half of the talent-rich Pac-12 Conference — 66-59.

Powell? Scoreless at halftime, she finished with a game-high 21 points. Seven of those – seven of the Gophers' 12 points – came in overtime, which she was determined to start by throwing the first punch.

"She was fearless in the paint in the second half,'' coach Lindsay Whalen said of Powell, who also had nine rebounds and five assists. "She got some shots to go. She battled.''

In a back-and-forth game in which both teams struggled to make shots, the Gophers won on the road thanks to good defense – the Sun Devils (1-1) shot 33.3% – and a strong finish.

A 17-2 run from the end of the second quarter into the third put the Gophers up 10. They were still up 10 when Sara Scalia drove for a score with 8:23 left in regulation.

BOXSCORE: Gophers 66, Arizona State 59 OT

But the Gophers were outscored 14-4 the rest of the fourth quarter, held scoreless over the last 4 minutes; Powell had a baseline drive in the final moments of regulation, but the shot came up just short.

No matter.

The Gophers got a stop to start the OT, then Powell drove for a score. Minnesota center Bailey Helgren got a steal, got the ball to Powell, who fed Scalia (14 points) for a fast-break layup. After Mael Gilles scored for ASU, Powell came down and hit a three for a 61-56 lead. Powell's midrange jumper with 1:52 left put the Gophers up seven, essentially icing the game.

This was a remarkable turnaround for the Gophers, who were able to get just one practice in before flying to the desert.

To Powell, it all has to do with attitude. "We had an interesting practice," she said. "The main talk was about we had to approach the game differently. We had to see ourselves as underdogs, with something to prove. For the rest of our season, we have to believe we have something to prove here at Minnesota. And that's what we're going to do."

Scalia finished in double figures despite struggling from three (0-for-6). Forward Kadi Sissoko had 13 points with six rebounds. Arizona State got 16 points from Taya Hanson and 15 off the bench from Jade Loville.

The Gophers won the rebounding battle 53-45, with 19 of those coming on the offensive end, resulting in 11 second-chance points. The team showed much more grit than it did on opening night.

"I thought we coached and played to our program standard the last couple days," Whalen said. "We played tough, we worked hard all night. We got good leadership and we were disciplined. We played — and, more importantly, coached to our standards."

The Star Tribune did not travel for this event. This article was written using the television broadcast and video interviews before and/or after the event.