Gophers women take lead into 4th quarter before falling to No. 3 Ohio State

In the locker room after the game, according to the players, the talk wasn't about what got away. It was about what was gained:

Experience, of learning how hard it is to finish, late, against one of the best teams in the country. Confidence, after one of the youngest rotations in women's college basketball played third-ranked Ohio State, for much of the game, straight up before losing 83-71.

Which is why, after seeing a six-point lead after three quarters dissolve as OSU opened the fourth 14-0, after Ohio State improved to 16-0 overall and 4-0 in the Big Ten, Amaya Battle talked about taking a step in the right direction.

"This was encouraging to me,'' she said.

The Gophers (8-7, 1-3) looked different than the team that succumbed to Maryland's full-court pressure last week. For three quarters they answered every Buckeyes run with one of their own. With a crowd of 2,410 — which included Sophie Hart, the former Farmington star who announced her intention to transfer to Minnesota last week — on its feet for much of the game, the Gophers led by four at halftime and pushed that lead to six entering the fourth.

But it only took three minutes and one second for that to change.

In that short stretch of the fourth quarter the Gophers went 0-for-5 — all on layups — as Ohio State scored 14 straight points.

It started with a fast-break after a Gophers turnover. Then the Gophers, trying to get an offensive board, got beat on the break by Taylor Mikesell.

It was a two-point game.

And then: After another Minnesota miss, Ohio State freshman Cotie McMahon was fouled by Mi'Cole Cayton, who also got a technical. McMahon hit one of two free throws. Mikesell hit both of hers. On the ensuing OSU possession Rikki Harris hit a short jumper. What was essentially a five-point possession put the Gophers behind for good.

"It never comes down to one play, one sequence,'' Gophers coach Lindsay Whalen said. "But that was tough for us to overcome.''

The Buckeyes were off, stretching the lead to eight before Battle's free throws with 6:43 left gave the Gophers their first fourth-quarter points.

It was a difficult way for the game to end. There were stretches — particularly in the Gophers' 24-15 second quarter — when it was all working, when the Gophers got eight of their 16 steals, scored seven points off turnovers.

Four Gophers players finished in double figures. Mallory Heyer had a 15-point, 12-rebound double-double, and led the team in assists (three). Rose Micheaux had 14 points, as did Battle, who added nine rebounds and three blocks. Mara Braun had 12 points.

Mikesell finished with 22 points for Ohio State, which is off to the best start in program history. Harris had 19.

"We handled the press really well,'' Heyer said. "And I thought we kept our composure for pretty much the whole game. Obviously the fourth quarter was a little different. But this was a great game, we matured a lot. And this is only going to motivate us going forward. Because we don't want to lose a game like this again.''

Whalen agreed.

"They're a tough team, and we stood there, for the most part, with them,'' she said. "So I'm proud of the group. There is a lot to be happy about. I would rather learn from wins. We took one on the chin a bit in the fourth. We'll regroup and play again Sunday.''