2023–24 Minnesota Golden Gophers women's basketball team

2023–24 Minnesota Golden Gophers women's basketball
2023–24 Minnesota Golden Gophers women's basketball
WNIT, Runners-up
Conference	Big Ten Conference
Record	20–16 (5–13 Big Ten)
Head coach	Dawn Plitzuweit (1st season);
Associate head coach	Jason Jeschke
Assistant coaches	Aaron Horn; Aerial Braker; Rachel Banham; Tyler VanWinkle;
Home arena	Williams Arena
	Seasons ← 2022–23 2024–25 →

The 2023–24 Minnesota Golden Gophers women's basketball team represented the University of Minnesota during the 2023–24 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Golden Gophers, led by first-year head coach Dawn Plitzuweit, played their home games at Williams Arena and compete as members of the Big Ten Conference. Plitzuweit was hired in March 2023 after she spent one year at West Virginia.^[1]

2023–24 Big Ten women's basketball standings
v t e	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
No. 16 Ohio State	16	–	2	.889	26	–	6	.813
No. 2 Iowa †	15	–	3	.833	34	–	5	.872
No. 12 Indiana	15	–	3	.833	26	–	6	.813
Michigan State	12	–	6	.667	22	–	9	.710
Nebraska	11	–	7	.611	23	–	12	.657
Michigan	9	–	9	.500	20	–	14	.588
Penn State	9	–	9	.500	22	–	13	.629
Maryland	9	–	9	.500	19	–	14	.576
Illinois	8	–	10	.444	19	–	15	.559
Wisconsin	6	–	12	.333	15	–	17	.469
Minnesota	5	–	13	.278	20	–	16	.556
Purdue	5	–	13	.278	15	–	19	.441
Northwestern	4	–	14	.222	9	–	21	.300
Rutgers	2	–	16	.111	8	–	24	.250

† 2024 Big Ten tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll

Previous season

The Golden Gophers finished the 2022–2023 season with a 11–19 record and 4–14 in Big Ten play to finish in twelfth place. As the twelfth seed in the Big Ten tournament, they were defeated by Penn State in the First Round.^[2] They were not invited to the NCAA Tournament or chosen for the WNIT. Alanna Micheaux was named to the Big Ten Conference Honorable Mention Team, while Mara Braun was named to the All-Freshman Team by both the coaches and media.^[3]

Following their loss to Penn State in the Big Ten Tournament, the Gophers announced that head coach Lindsay Whalen had resigned and stepped down as head coach.^[4] Dawn Plitzuweit was hired 2 weeks later as the new head coach for the Gophers.^[5]

Offseason

Departures

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Year	Hometown	Notes
Alanna Micheaux	4	F	6'2"	Sophomore	Wayne, Michigan	Transferred to Virginia Tech^[6]
Alexa Ratzlaff	12	G	5'9"	Freshman	Rosemount, Minnesota
Destinee Oberg	13	C	6'3"	Senior	Burnsville, Minnesota	Transferred to North Dakota^[7]
Isabelle Gradwell	14	G/F	6'1"	Graduate Senior	Marshalltown, Iowa	Graduated
Angelina Hammond	15	G/F	6'1"	Graduate Senior	Hopkins, Minnesota	Transferred to St. Thomas^[8]
Mi'Cole Cayton	21	G	5'9"	Graduate Senior	Stockton, California	Transferred to Pepperdine^[9]
Katie Borowicz	23	G	5'7"	Redshirt Freshman	Roseau, Minnesota	Medically Retired^[10]
Maria Counts	31	G/F	5'11"	Freshman	Plymouth, Minnesota	Transferred to Minnesota-Duluth

Arrivals

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Year	Hometown	Previous School	Notes
Janay Sanders	30	G	5'11"	Graduate Senior	Charlotte, North Carolina	App State	^[11]

2023 Recruiting class

On November 16, 2023, the Gophers announced the signing of 4 players Kennedy Klick, MyKynnlie Dalan, Ajok Madol and Dominika Paurová to scholarships, while also Brynn Senden signed an Acceptance of Admission to be a walk-on for the 2023–24 season.^[12] Following the resignation of Lindsay Whalen after the 2022–23 season, Paurová asked and granted her release from the Gophers, and then committed to Oregon State.^[13]

After the hiring of Plitzuweit, she signed two players that she got to commit to West Virginia when she was there in - Grace Grocholski and Ayianna Johnson.^[14]^[15]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Kennedy Klick G	Brooklyn Park, MN	Maple Grove High School	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	N/A	Nov 16, 2022
Kennedy Klick G	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A
MyKynnlie Dalan F	Montesano, WA	Montesano High School	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	N/A	Nov 16, 2022
MyKynnlie Dalan F	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A
Ajok Madol G/F	Regina, Saskatchewan	Archbishop M.C. O'Neill High School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	N/A	Nov 16, 2022
Ajok Madol G/F	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A
Brynn Senden G	Wayzata, MN	Wayzata High School	5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)	N/A	Nov 16, 2022
Brynn Senden G	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A
Ayianna Johnson F	Jefferson, WI	Jefferson High School	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	N/A	May 4, 2023
Ayianna Johnson F	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A
Grace Grocholski G/F	North Prairie, WI	Kettle Moraine High School	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	N/A	Apr 12, 2023
Grace Grocholski G/F	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: ESPN grade: 91
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources:

Roster

2023–24 Minnesota Golden Gophers women's basketball team

Players

Coaches

Pos.	#	Name	Height	Year	Previous school	Hometown
F	1	Ayianna Johnson	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	Fr	Jefferson	Jefferson, WI
G	3	Amaya Battle	5 ft 11 in (1.8 m)	So	Hopkins	Hopkins, MN
G	5	Maggie Czinano	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	Jr	Watertown-Mayer	Watertown, MN
G	10	Mara Braun	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	So	Wayzata	Wayzata, MN
F/C	11	Aminata Zie	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	Sr	Western Nebraska CC Stony Brook	Paris, France
G/F	12	Ajok Madol	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	Fr	Archbishop M.C. O'Neill	Regina, Saskatchewan
G	15	Brynn Senden	5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)	Fr	Wayzata	Wayzata, MN
G	22	Kennedy Klick	5 ft 11 in (1.8 m)	Fr	Maple Grove	Brooklyn Park, MN
F	24	Mallory Heyer	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	So	Chaska	Chaska, MN
G/F	25	Grace Grocholski	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	Fr	Kettle Moraine	North Prairie, WI
G	30	Janay Sanders	5 ft 11 in (1.8 m)	GS	App State	Charlotte, NC
F	34	McKynnlie Dalan	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	Fr	Montesano	Montesano, WA
F	41	Niamya Holloway	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	RS Fr	Eden Prairie	Eden Prairie, MN
C	52	Sophie Hart	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	Jr	NC State	Farmington, MN

Head coach

Dawn Plitzuweit (Michigan Tech)

Assistant coach(es)

Jason Jeschke (Southwestern (KS))
Aaron Horn (Toledo)
Ariel Braker (Notre Dame)
Rachel Banham (Minnesota)
Tyler VanWinkle (Illinois State)

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible
(W) Walk-on

Injured
Current redshirt

Roster
Last update: August 12, 2022

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Rank^#	Opponent^#	Result	Record	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Site (attendance) city, state
Regular season
November 8, 2023* 7:00 p.m., Big Ten+		Long Island	W 92–57	1–0	25 – Braun	8 – Heyer	6 – Braun	Williams Arena (3,141) Minneapolis, MN
November 12, 2023* 1:00 p.m., Big Ten+		Chicago State	W 100–42	2–0	25 – Braun	7 – Heyer	7 – Battle	Williams Arena (2,856) Minneapolis, MN
November 15, 2023* 7:00 p.m., Big Ten+		North Dakota State	W 75–53	3–0	20 – Battle	12 – Heyer	9 – Battle	Williams Arena (2,816) Minneapolis, MN
November 19, 2023* 4:00 p.m., FS1		No. 8 UConn	L 44–62	3–1	12 – Braun	8 – Braun	5 – Braun	Williams Arena (10,869) Minneapolis, MN
November 22, 2023* 7:00 p.m., Big Ten+		Cal State Northridge	W 84–31	4–1	21 – Braun	6 – Tied	7 – Grocholski	Williams Arena (2,728) Minneapolis, MN
November 26, 2023* 2:00 p.m., Big Ten+		Stony Brook	W 67–54	5–1	17 – Tied	12 – Battle	9 – Battle	Williams Arena (3,122) Minneapolis, MN
November 29, 2023* 7:00 p.m., Big Ten+		Norfolk State	W 74–43	6–1	26 – Grocholski	12 – Heyer	5 – Battle	Williams Arena (2,820) Minneapolis, MN
December 2, 2023* 1:00 p.m., Big Ten+		Drake	W 94–88 ^2OT	7–1	33 – Braun	10 – Heyer	5 – Grocholski	Williams Arena (4,578) Minneapolis, MN
December 6, 2023* 6:00 p.m., SECN+		at Kentucky	W 76–57	8–1	25 – Braun	10 – Hart	6 – Battle	Rupp Arena (3,386) Lexington, KY
December 10, 2023 1:00 p.m., Big Ten+		Purdue	W 60–58	9–1 (1–0)	21 – Braun	12 – Heyer	4 – Battle	Williams Arena (3,834) Minneapolis, MN
December 13, 2023* 11:00 a.m., Big Ten+		Grambling State	W 96–64	10–1	26 – Braun	9 – Heyer	10 – Battle	Williams Arena (5,291) Minneapolis, MN
December 21, 2023* 3:00 p.m., Big Ten+		Lindenwood	W 100–45	11–1	21 – Braun	10 – Czinano	8 – Battle	Williams Arena (3,069) Minneapolis, MN
December 30, 2023 1:00 p.m., BTN		at No. 4 Iowa	L 71–94	11–2 (1–1)	16 – Battle	6 – Hart	5 – Tied	Carver–Hawkeye Arena (14,998) Iowa City, IA
January 3, 2024 7:00 p.m., Big Ten+		Maryland	L 64–72	11–3 (1–2)	20 – Braun	10 – Heyer	5 – Battle	Williams Arena (2,362) Minneapolis, MN
January 9, 2024 7:00 p.m., BTN		at Michigan	W 82–66	12–3 (2–2)	21 – Heyer	9 – Battle	4 – Tied	Crisler Center (2,112) Ann Arbor, MI
January 14, 2024 2:00 p.m., Big Ten+		Nebraska	W 62–58	13–3 (3–2)	16 – Heyer	7 – Heyer	5 – Battle	Williams Arena (5,958) Minneapolis, MN
January 17, 2024 7:00 p.m., Peacock		at No. 16 Indiana	L 62–85	13–4 (3–3)	19 – Grocholski	6 – Heyer	3 – Battle	Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall (7,977) Bloomington, IN
January 20, 2024 2:00 p.m., Big Ten+		Michigan State	W 69–50	14–4 (4–3)	18 – Heyer	15 – Heyer	4 – Grocholski	Williams Arena (5,020) Minneapolis, MN
January 23, 2024 8:00 p.m., BTN		at Wisconsin	L 56–59	14–5 (4–4)	13 – Grocholski	7 – Tied	4 – Battle	Kohl Center (4,191) Madison, WI
January 28, 2024 2:00 p.m., Big Ten+		at Illinois	L 68–73	14–6 (4–5)	18 – Tied	8 – Battle	7 – Battle	State Farm Center (4,788) Champaign, IL
January 31, 2024 7:00 p.m., Big Ten+		Penn State	L 64–80	14–7 (4–6)	13 – Tied	9 – Heyer	5 – Battle	Williams Arena (3,319) Minneapolis, MN
February 5, 2024 5:00 p.m., BTN		at Michigan State	L 65–76	14–8 (4–7)	23 – Sanders	11 – Heyer	10 – Battle	Breslin Student Events Center (3,154) East Lansing, MI
February 8, 2024 8:00 p.m., Peacock		No. 5 Ohio State	L 47–71	14–9 (4–8)	16 – Sanders	7 – Tied	6 – Battle	Williams Arena (3,572) Minneapolis, MN
February 13, 2024 6:00 p.m., BTN		at Rutgers	L 73–81	14–10 (4–9)	23 – Grocholski	8 – Heyer	10 – Battle	Jersey Mike's Arena (1,511) Piscataway, NJ
February 17, 2024 2:00 p.m., Big Ten+		Northwestern	W 88–63	15–10 (5–9)	27 – Grocholski	8 – Heyer	6 – Sanders	Williams Arena (4,882) Minneapolis, MN
February 20, 2024 6:00 p.m., BTN		Wisconsin	L 56–67	15–11 (5–10)	16 – Battle	7 – Johnson	5 – Battle	Williams Arena (4,559) Minneapolis, MN
February 24, 2024 4:00 p.m., Big Ten+		at Nebraska	L 51–70	15–12 (5–11)	15 – Heyer	10 – Heyer	4 – Battle	Pinnacle Bank Arena (7,101) Lincoln, NE
February 28, 2024 8:00 p.m., Peacock		No. 6 Iowa	L 60–108	15–13 (5–12)	18 – Battle	11 – Heyer	4 – Battle	Williams Arena (14,625) Minneapolis, MN
March 3, 2024 12:00 p.m., Big Ten+		at Penn State	L 34–90	15–14 (5–13)	10 – Senden	7 – Grocholski	3 – Battle	Bryce Jordan Center (2,830) University Park, PA
Big Ten Tournament
March 6, 2024 8:00 p.m., Peacock	(11)	vs. (14) Rutgers First Round	W 77–69	16–14	32 – Battle	9 – Holloway	7 – Battle	Target Center (18,392) Minneapolis, MN
March 7, 2024 8:00 p.m., BTN	(11)	vs. (6) Michigan Second Round	L 57–76	16–15	22 – Battle	17 – Heyer	3 – Tied	Target Center (18,392) Minneapolis, MN
WNIT
March 26, 2024* 8:00 p.m.		Pacific Second Round	W 77–62	17–15	14 – Hart	6 – Tied	6 – Battle	Williams Arena (1,140) Minneapolis, MN
March 29, 2024* 7:00 p.m.		North Dakota State Super 16	W 69–65	18–15	16 – Grocholski	12 – Heyer	5 – Battle	Williams Arena (2,367) Minneapolis, MN
April 1, 2024* 7:30 p.m.		at Wyoming Great 8	W 65–54	19–15	29 – Battle	11 – Grocholski	4 – Battle	Arena-Auditorium (3,710) Laramie, WY
April 3, 2024* 6:00 p.m., ESPN+		at Troy Fab 4	W 74–69	20–15	18 – Battle	11 – Hart	4 – Battle	Trojan Arena (4,333) Troy, AL
April 6, 2024* 2:00 p.m., CBSSN		vs. Saint Louis Championship	L 50–69	20–16	13 – Hart	11 – Heyer	4 – Battle	First Community Arena (1,545) Edwardsville, IL
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Time.

Source:^[16]

Rankings

Ranking movements
**Legend:** ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes
	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	Final
AP	—	—	—	—	—	—	RV	RV	RV	—	—	—	—							Not released
Coaches	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—

References

^ Campbell, Dave (March 18, 2023). "Minnesota hires West Virginia's Plitzuweit to replace Whalen". The Eagles-Tribune. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
^ "Gophers Overcome 18-Point Deficit, Ultimately Fall to Penn State 72-67". gophersports.com. Gopher Sports. Retrieved August 21, 2023.
^ "2022-23 Big Ten Women's Basketball Postseason Honors" (PDF). Big Ten Conference. Big Ten Conference. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 28, 2023. Retrieved August 21, 2023.
^ Voepel, M.A. (March 2, 2023). "Lindsay Whalen steps down as Minnesota coach after 5 seasons". ESPN.com. WNBA. Retrieved August 21, 2023.
^ Shipley, John (March 18, 2023). "Gophers hire Dawn Plitzuweit as next women's basketball coach". twincities.com. Pioneer Press. Retrieved August 21, 2023.
^ Berman, Mark (April 16, 2023). "College basketball notes: Virginia Tech women add Minnesota transfer Alanna Micheaux". Roanoke.com. Roanoke Times. Retrieved August 21, 2023.
^ "North Dakota Women's Basketball adds final transfer, Destinee Oberg". fightinghawks.com. North Dakota Athletics. Retrieved August 21, 2023.
^ "Guard/forward Angelina Hammond to join Tommies in 2023-24". tommiesports.com. St. Thomas Athletics. June 12, 2023. Retrieved August 21, 2023.
^ "Waves Bolster Backcourt with Three Transfer Guards". pepperdinewaves.com. Pepperdine Athletics. June 7, 2023. Retrieved August 21, 2023.
^ Shipley, John (March 22, 2023). "Gophers point guard Katie Borowicz retiring from basketball". twincities.com. Pioneer Press. Retrieved August 21, 2023.
^ "Sanders Spent Three Seasons at App State, One at LaSalle". gophersports.com. Gopher Sports. Retrieved August 21, 2023.
^ "Women's Hoops Sign Five for 2023-24". gophersports.com. Gopher Sports. Retrieved August 21, 2023.
^ Daschel, Nick (April 16, 2023). "Oregon State women's basketball lands Czech Republic wing Dominika Paurova, a former Minnesota signee". oregonlive.com. Oregon Live. Retrieved August 21, 2023.
^ "Minnesota Adds Ayianna Johnson to 2023-24 Signing Class". gophersports.com. Gopher Sports. Retrieved August 21, 2023.
^ "Plitzuweit Adds Grocholski to 2023-24 Signing Class". gophersports.com. Gopher Sports. Retrieved August 21, 2023.
^ "2023-24 Women's Basketball Schedule". gophersports.com. Gopher Sports. Retrieved August 21, 2023.

[1] Campbell, Dave (March 18, 2023). "Minnesota hires West Virginia's Plitzuweit to replace Whalen". The Eagles-Tribune. Retrieved March 18, 2023.

[2] "Gophers Overcome 18-Point Deficit, Ultimately Fall to Penn State 72-67". gophersports.com. Gopher Sports. Retrieved August 21, 2023.

[3] "2022-23 Big Ten Women's Basketball Postseason Honors" (PDF). Big Ten Conference. Big Ten Conference. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 28, 2023. Retrieved August 21, 2023.

[4] Voepel, M.A. (March 2, 2023). "Lindsay Whalen steps down as Minnesota coach after 5 seasons". ESPN.com. WNBA. Retrieved August 21, 2023.

[5] Shipley, John (March 18, 2023). "Gophers hire Dawn Plitzuweit as next women's basketball coach". twincities.com. Pioneer Press. Retrieved August 21, 2023.

[6] Berman, Mark (April 16, 2023). "College basketball notes: Virginia Tech women add Minnesota transfer Alanna Micheaux". Roanoke.com. Roanoke Times. Retrieved August 21, 2023.

[7] "North Dakota Women's Basketball adds final transfer, Destinee Oberg". fightinghawks.com. North Dakota Athletics. Retrieved August 21, 2023.

[8] "Guard/forward Angelina Hammond to join Tommies in 2023-24". tommiesports.com. St. Thomas Athletics. June 12, 2023. Retrieved August 21, 2023.

[9] "Waves Bolster Backcourt with Three Transfer Guards". pepperdinewaves.com. Pepperdine Athletics. June 7, 2023. Retrieved August 21, 2023.

[10] Shipley, John (March 22, 2023). "Gophers point guard Katie Borowicz retiring from basketball". twincities.com. Pioneer Press. Retrieved August 21, 2023.

[11] "Sanders Spent Three Seasons at App State, One at LaSalle". gophersports.com. Gopher Sports. Retrieved August 21, 2023.

[12] "Women's Hoops Sign Five for 2023-24". gophersports.com. Gopher Sports. Retrieved August 21, 2023.

[13] Daschel, Nick (April 16, 2023). "Oregon State women's basketball lands Czech Republic wing Dominika Paurova, a former Minnesota signee". oregonlive.com. Oregon Live. Retrieved August 21, 2023.

[14] "Minnesota Adds Ayianna Johnson to 2023-24 Signing Class". gophersports.com. Gopher Sports. Retrieved August 21, 2023.

[15] "Plitzuweit Adds Grocholski to 2023-24 Signing Class". gophersports.com. Gopher Sports. Retrieved August 21, 2023.

[16] "2023-24 Women's Basketball Schedule". gophersports.com. Gopher Sports. Retrieved August 21, 2023.

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