Minnesota stuns Mississippi with late comeback, buzzer-beater to advance to Sweet 16

Host Minnesota was in trouble against No. 5 seed Ole Miss on Sunday, trailing 54-46 heading into the fourth quarter.

But it rallied to stun Mississippi with a late comeback capped by a game-winning bucket in the final second to secure a 65-63 win.

Advertisement

Minnesota tied the game at 61-61 with a Mara Braun 3 with 1:17 remaining.

The teams then traded buckets, setting up Amaya Battle as the hero for Minnesota. The Golden Gophers set up an inbounds play in the frontcourt with 3.5 seconds remaining and got the ball to Battle on the baseline.

Battle then pulled up for a step-back contested jumper that sank through the net for a 65-63 lead with 0.8 seconds remaining.

Mississippi’s desperation shot on the ensuing possession missed the mark, and Minnesota held on to advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2005.

Minnesota will take on the winner between No. 1 seed UCLA and No. 8 seed Oklahoma State in the Sacramento 2 regional semifinal.

Advertisement

Draft your Yahoo Fantasy Baseball team for the 2026 MLB Season

Minnesota bounces back after big Mississippi 3rd quarter

Buoyed by its home crowd, Minnesota limited Mississippi to 12 first-quarter points and left the stanza with a 17-12 lead. It then took a 32-29 lead into the halftime break.

But Mississippi opened the third quarter with a 3 and rode a 25-14 advantage in the quarter in to an eight-point lead heading into the fourth. The Golden Gophers were in trouble and looked primed for an upset at home.

But Minnesota finished the game on a 15-6 run, sparked by a Brylee Glenn 3 with 5:33 remaining, setting up Braun and Battle for their late heroics.

Advertisement

Braun and Battle were also Minnesota’s leading scorers on the day. Braun finished with a team-high 17 points alongside 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals while shooting 4 of 5 from 3. Battled secured a double-double with 14 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists.

As a team, Minnesota shot 45% from the field and 58% (7 of 12) from 3. Mississippi also shot well from deep while hitting 43% of its field goals and 46% (6 of 13) of its 3s. But it wasn’t enough to hold on for the win.