Minnesota Golden Gophers Defeat Ole Miss Rebels to Advance to Sweet 16

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - MARCH 22: Amaya Battle #3 of the Minnesota Golden Gophers celebrates with her team after making a go-ahead shot against the Ole Miss Rebels in the fourth quarter during a second round game of the 2026 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament held at Williams Arena on March 22, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Carlos Gonzalez/NCAA Photos via Getty Images) | NCAA Photos via Getty Images The movie script could not have been written any better. The oft injured redshirt junior Minnesota native hits a step back three to tie the game.

The home crowd is so loud that nobody…and I mean nobody can hear the shot clock buzzer expire. The 5th year senior transfer and Minnesota native hits a tough bucket to give her team the lead. The senior team leader and Minnesota native gets one last chance to make a memory on the raised floor and sends the crowd of over 10,700 into an absolute frenzy.

The “villains” get one last chance, but their game winner falls just short and the heroines get to celebrate. But this was no movie. This was real life.

The Minnesota Golden Gophers came back from an eight point deficit with 5:04 to play and would battle back with massive plays from Minnesotans up and down the roster punctuated by an Amaya Battle 15 foot jumper with 0. 8 seconds left in the game to propel the home team to the Sweet Sixteen in a 65-63 win over Ole Miss. How sweet it is!