Gophers women's hoops blows out North Florida before meeting with No. 25 Nebraska

Minnesota has had zero trouble rolling to a 10-0 overall record.

Feb 20, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers guard Grace Grocholski (25) shoots as Wisconsin Badgers guard Halle Douglass (10) defends during the first half at Williams Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images / Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Gophers women's basketball hosted North Florida at the Barn on Tuesday night and they had zero trouble with the Ospreys, cruising to a 90-44 blowout victory.

Minnesota has found its preferred starting lineup with Mara Braun, rolling with the same five starters for the fifth straight game. The talent difference between both teams was clear once the ball was tipped. The Gophers quickly jumped out to another big first-quarter lead and led 33-6 after 10 minutes of play thanks to Grace Grocholski knocking down three shots from beyond the arc.

G-MONEY COMES IN CLUTCH💰

Her third 3️⃣ tonight 😤#Gophers 19, Ospreys 4 pic.twitter.com/JcSsk002Ib

— Minnesota Women's Basketball (@GopherWBB) December 4, 2024

North Florida was coming off a 79-71 win against Samford on Saturday, its first win over a Division I opponent this season, but it previously had defeats by 70 and 29 points earlier in the season to Florida State and UCF.

The Gophers continued to roll in the second quarter, outscoring the Ospreys 19-12. Grocholski finished the first half with 12 points on four made three-pointers and Minnesota led 52-18 heading into the locker room.

A 10-0 North Florida run near the end of the third quarter showed a little bit of life and they even out-scored Minnesota by one, but the Gophers were able to bounce back in the final 10 minutes and cruise to a 90-44 victory.

Grocholski and Nebraska transfer Annika Stewart led all scorers with 15 points. Amaya Battle, Tori McKinney, Taylor Woodson and Sophie Hart all also scored in double figures, it was an all-around team effort for the Gophers.

Minnesota will now prepare for its first Big Ten test of the season on Sunday, Dec. 8 against No. 25 Nebraska on the road. The Cornhuskers are 6-1 this season with their only loss coming on the road against Creighton. They have a talented frontcourt of Alexis Markowski and Natalie Potts, who both average more than 14 points and 7 rebounds per game.

Sunday's game will be the Gophers' first opportunity to test themselves against NCAA Tournament-level competition. They will play two more nonconference games against Jackson State and Prairie View A&M before Big Ten play hits its stride at the end of the month.