Gophers women’s basketball beats Harvard in season opener

The Minnesota women s basketball team led Harvard 37-30 at halftime, but went scoreless for the opening minutes of the third quarter. The Gophers did not score again until 5:56 left in the third.  At the end of the third quarter, Minnesota led Harvard 54-52. During the fourth quarter, the Gophers held Harvard to 10 points while scoring 28 of their own to secure their first win of the season with a final score of 82-62.  Gophers women basketball head coach Dawn Plitzuweit led the Gophers to the Sweet 16 last season and wants to build on that success this year.  “I thought our young ladies showed incredible resilience and really played very, very good basketball down the stretch,” Plitzuweit said.  University of Minnesota guard Natalie Kussow (21) shoots a free throw during the season opener against Harvard on Nov. 2, 2026, at The Barn by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota. (Image by Vivienne Paulson) The Gophers will be without guard Tori McKinney for the full season after she suff