Minnesota Heads to Marquette for First Road Test of the Season

MINNEAPOLIS - The University of Minnesota women's basketball team (1-0, 0-0 Big Ten) will hit the road for the first time this season to face Marquette (1-0, 0-0 BIG EAST) on Saturday at 2 p.m. CT. The game can be streamed live on ESPN+ with Chloe Marotta and Kelsey Marotta and can be heard on KFAN+ with Tanner Hoops and Lynnette Sjoquist.

Minnesota (1-0, 0-0 Big Ten) vs. Marquette (1-0, 0-0 BIG EAST)
Stream: ESPN+ (Chloe Marotta, Kelsey Marotta)
Tip Time: 2 p.m. CT
Radio: KFAN+ 96.7 FM and the iHeartRadio app (Tanner Hoops and Lynnette Sjoquist)
Location: Al McGuire Center

ALL-TIME SERIES

Saturday's tipoff will be the 10th all-time meeting between Minnesota and Marquette in a series that began in 1990.
The Gophers lead the series 5-4.
The last time the two teams met was Nov. 11, 2025, at The Barn. Minnesota won 90-47. Four Gophers scored in double figures, led by Grace Grocholski's 19 points.

STARTING FIVE

Minnesota opened the season Monday with an 82-62 win over Harvard at The Barn by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota. Three Gophers finished the game in double figures, led by Gracie Merkle, who scored 22 points, went 10 of 11 from the field and grabbed seven boards. Grocholski followed behind with 20 points, six rebounds and five assists. Tayla Thomas recorded the first double-double of the season with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Leah Harmon had eight points against the Crimson.
Freshman Natalie Kussow also contributed to the win with nine points, four rebounds and three assists across 32 minutes of action. Tori Oehrlein made her first appearance at The Barn as a Gopher, scoring four points.
Adit Kuol and Kylee Paben also made their Gopher debuts.
Head coach Dawn Plitzuweit enters her fourth season at the helm of the Gopher women's basketball program. Last season, Plitzuweit guided the Maroon and Gold to its best season in more than 20 years with a run to the Sweet 16.
The home of Golden Gopher basketball is now known as the Barn by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, which was introduced on June 12, 2026.

NOTES TO KNOW

With Merkle's seven rebounds against the Crimson, she now has 800 career rebounds. Merkle is one of only five active players in the NCAA to have 1400+ points and 800 career boards.
Monday was the first time two Gophers scored 20 or more points in a game since Tori McKinney (23) and Mara Braun (23) did so at Penn State on Jan. 28, 2026.
Minnesota's 82 points marked the first time the Gophers scored 80 or more points in a game since scoring 84 against Nebraska on Feb. 12, 2026.
The Gopher defense held Harvard to 34.3% shooting (24-70), the first time doing so since holding Ohio State to 39.3% (24-61) on Feb. 18, 2026.
Kussow went 5 for 5 from the line, the first time a Gopher was perfect since McKinney was 6 for 6 at Illinois on March 1, 2026.
The Gophers also made 25 free throws for the first time since making 25 against Chicago State on Dec. 12, 2022.
The Maroon and Gold defense recorded 10 steals for the first time since against Maryland on Dec. 7, 2025.

GRACIE MERKLE LISA LESLIE AWARD

It was announced that Gracie Merkle was named to the 20-player watch list for the 2027 Lisa Leslie Center of the Year Award.
The Lisa Leslie Award, now in its 10th year, recognizes the top center in NCAA Division I women's college basketball. It is named after the three-time All-American, 1994 National Player of the Year, and Class of 2015 Hall of Famer.
The winner of the 2027 Leslie Award will be presented on a to-be-determined date, along with the other four members of the Women's Starting Five. Additional awards being presented include the Nancy Lieberman Awards (Point Guard), Ann Meyers Drysdale Awards (Shooting Guard), Cheryl Miller Awards (Small Forward), and the Katrina McClain Awards (Power Forward).

ABOUT MARQUETTE

The Golden Eagles enter year three under Cara Consuegra. Under Consuegra, Marquette is 40-23 overall and 24-14 in BIG EAST play.
Last season, Marquette finished third in the BIG EAST and returns top rebounder Halle Vice, who averaged 13.7 points and 8.9 rebounds per game.
The Golden Eagles return Jordan Meulemans, Kam Herring and JJ Barnes.
Consuegra and her staff brought in eight players: six freshmen and two transfers.

WISCONSIN CONNECTION

Minnesota's roster features three players from Wisconsin: Natalie Kussow (Hartland, Wis. - Arrowhead), Makena Christian (Lomira, Wis. - Hartford Union) and Grace Grocholski (North Prairie, Wis. - Kettle Moraine).
At Arrowhead, Kussow capped off her career by being named the 2026 Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Ms. Basketball and was a two-time Wisconsin Gatorade State Player of the Year and two-time Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Wisconsin State Player of the Year. The No. 1 recruit out of Wisconsin last year, she led Arrowhead to two WIAA state tournament championships in 2024 and 2026.
A sophomore from Lomira, Christian played at Hartford Union and was ranked as one of the top recruits in Wisconsin. In 2025, she was named the Wisconsin State Player of the Year and selected to the Wisconsin All-State Team.
While at Kettle Moraine, Grocholski was a two-sport athlete who also played volleyball. She was a three-time Division I WBCA All-State Team member, three-time Waukesha Freeman Player of the Year, 2023 Wisconsin Ms. Basketball finalist and 2023 McDonald's All-American candidate. In volleyball, she was a three-time First Team All-State selection.

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Players Mentioned

Mara Braun

Makena Christian

Grace Grocholski

Leah Harmon

Adit Kuol

Natalie Kussow

Tori McKinney

Gracie Merkle

Tori Oehrlein

Kylee Paben

Tayla Thomas