After a demoralizing and poor showing their last time out, many might have had doubts about Minnesota taking down Ohio State on the road last night. The Gophers went in with a 0-23 record against the Buckeyes in Columbus.

But tough defense, a 7-12 performance from behind the arc, and a big rebounding advantage helped the Gophers finally beat the Bucks 59-56. It was the first loss in Big 10 play for OSU.

Jantel Lavender led all scorers with 20 points, but did most of her damage from the free throw line, rather than in the paint. Samantha Prahalis also did a great job of getting to the line and finished with 16 points, but had a costly turnover near the end of the game. OSU finished 20-22 from the line for the game, while Minnesota only went 4-6. But that was about the only area that the Bucks dominated.

The Gophers were led by Ashley Ellis-Milan, who had 17 points, and worked with Zoe Harper and the rest of her team on limiting Lavender and Star Allen on the inside. Emily Fox still struggled some with her shot, but ran the point much of the night, hit some key baskets late in the game and dished out a game high seven assists. Katie Ohm went 5-7 from behind the arc and helped Minnesota get off to a solid start on the offensive end. Kiara Buford continued to be a spark off the bench on both ends of the floor. And "Without a doubt, I think they outworked us on the glass," OSU coach Jim Foster said.