Amaya Battle hit a tiebreaking jumper with 0.7 seconds left, lifting No. 4 Minnesota to a 65-63 victory over No. 5 Ole Miss on Sunday and sending the Gophers to the Sweet 16 for the first time in 21 years, the Associated Press reported.
Battle finished with 14 points, 11 rebounds and five assists. She took the inbound pass near the paint, dribbled along the baseline for space, swished the shot and landed on her back, the AP reported.
Mara Braun scored 17 points, including a tying 3-pointer with 1:17 remaining, and helped force a shot-clock violation on the ensuing possession, the AP reported. Sophie Hart, who had 10 points, gave Minnesota its first lead since early in the third quarter with a drop-step bank shot with 18 seconds left. Latasha Lattimore answered with a tying layup with three seconds remaining, the AP said.
On the final possession, Tianna Thompson’s 3-point try from the top of the key hit the front of the rim and fell short, the AP reported. Cotie McMahon fouled out with 4:22 remaining after scoring 15 points, and Ole Miss went the next 3:41 without scoring, the AP said.
Minnesota will advance to Sacramento, California, to face the winner of Monday’s game between No. 1 seed UCLA and No. 8 seed Oklahoma State, the AP reported.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
