Minnesota Gophers women’s basketball meets UCLA in NCAA Sweet 16
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The University of Minnesota women’s basketball team will face UCLA in the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16 on Friday.
Minnesota, a No. 4 seed, will take on the No. 1 seed Bruins at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, Calif. The game is scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m. Central time, and will air on ESPN.
The Gophers advanced after a thrilling second‑round victory over Ole Miss, winning 65‑63 on Sunday. Minnesota’s Mara Braun made the game-tying 3-pointer before guard Amaya Battle hit a jumper with 0.7 seconds left to clinch the win, giving Minnesota its first Sweet 16 appearance since 2005.
The Bruins have won 27 straight games, including a 76-58 victory over the Gophers on Jan. 14.
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The Gophers’ Battle and Braun were the headliners among four recruits then-coach Lindsay Whalen and her staff signed for the 2022-23 season, an all-Minnesota class that was the highest-ranked in program history, pegged the 10th-best nationally by ESPN.
Braun has another season to look forward to. Battle, who passed Whalen last month for second place on the program’s all-time assists list, does not. She has collected 1,527 points, 768 rebounds and 595 assists over her four-year career — TCU’s Olivia Miles is the only active player with more in each category.
UCLA advanced to the Sweet 16 with an 87–68 victory over No. 8‑seed Oklahoma State in the second round. The Bruins built a strong lead and maintained control throughout, led by senior standout Lauren Betts, who scored 35 points in the win.
Friday’s winner will advance to the Elite Eight on Sunday and face the winner of Duke vs. LSU.
The Final Four will be in Phoenix — with national semifinal games on Friday, April 3, and the championship game on Sunday, April 5.
