Fortunately this was an exhibition game and the Gophers women's basketball players will soon forget it.
Winona State might not. The Division II Warriors came to Williams Arena and found the new floor at The Barn to their liking. The baskets, too.
Winona State made 12 of 25 three-point attempts and stunned its Big Ten opponent 64-62 on Wednesday night before an announced crowd of 3,388.
This was not the script coach Pam Borton expected. In the past eight seasons, her teams had been 14-0 in exhibition games. The Gophers' closest margin of victory was 11 points.
| Movie Finder |
Not this time. Natalie Gigler, a 6-foot forward, made a short, open baseline jumper with 1 second left to break a 62-62 tie. She finished with 10 points.
Winona State's Ana Wurtz, a 5-8 senior guard, was 6-for-12 behind the arc and had a game-high 20 points.
"I'm from the Cities," said Gigler, who played at Champlin Park High School. "This is a big deal. We gave it all we could."
Said Warriors coach Scott Ballard: "We are not going to be able to sneak up on anybody. I'm just sad it's an exhibition and didn't count."