Stat of the day: 18

That's the total number of points the Gophers allowed in the fourth quarter of their two NCAA tournament games.

They outscored Green Bay 30-9 in the final frame Friday and outscored Ole Miss 19-9 on Sunday, allowing them to win both games despite trailing after three quarters.

Welcome back, Grace Grocholski

Junior Grace Grocholski was held scoreless Friday against Green Bay and appeared too nervous to pull the trigger early on Sunday.

But she ended up scoring eight points while shooting 3-for-4 from the field, including 2-for-2 on three-pointers.

The Gophers will need their second-leading scorer to continue pitching in if they want to defeat UCLA in the Sweet 16.

Ole Miss coach unhappy with officiating

Ole Miss coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin wasn't happy with the officiating, especially the charge call that changed the game by sending the Rebels' best player, Cotie McMahon, to the bench with five fouls with 4:22 left and Ole Miss leading 59-54.

Asked about McMahon's game-long foul trouble that started with her playing only three minutes in the first quarter and limited her to 21 minutes overall, the coach said: "I got to see how to answer that without getting in any trouble. I was in the locker room thinking about other star players on teams. I've just never seen them foul out in a March Madness game. I just haven't. Paige [Bueckers], Caitlin [Clark]. I mean, I don't want to call current ones [stars] because then someone will say I'm tampering or something like that.

"I just haven't seen the best players get fouled out. From my point of view, the last call was incorrect. We watched it 1,500 times. One of the things I do understand is that officials are human and environments [cause] them to officiate in a particular type of way. I don't think that's why we lost the game. I just know that Cotie is [our] leading scorer, [SEC] newcomer of the year, all of the things, and she plays 20 minutes.

"And it's disappointing. These fans deserved more than that. The game deserves more than that, and I just think officiating as a whole really needs to be looked at. I really do. I'm not just talking about this game. Something has to be done. It has to be better."

Williams Arena crowd makes a difference

How ear-splittingly loud was the Barn today?

Well, let the two coaches involved in today's game tell the story.

First, Ole Miss coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin: "I feel their fans won them that game."

Said Gophers coach Dawn Plitzuweit: "The Barn is a really special place. It's an incredible place to play. You got the raised floor, and there's so much history. But, also, it's loud. It's really, really, really loud. I don't want to say how many years I've been coaching (31 years, 18 as a head coach), but it's been quite a few years. As a player or a coach, I've never been in an environment that was that loud. Ever. It was pretty surreal."

Moving on

Senior center Sophie Hart (who had 10 points in Sunday's win) moves the Gophers up one more spot on the bracket.

Minnesotans come through for Gophers

The Gophers are headed to the Sweet 16 because some Minnesota kids made clutch play after clutch play when the moment demanded it for their home-state school.

Wayzata's Mara Braun tied the score late with a three-pointer.

Farmington's Sophie Hart put the team ahead 63-61 with a layup.

And finally, Hopkins' Amaya Battle hit the game-winning shot that fans of the program will never forget.

Another great fourth quarter for Gophers

The Gophers needed a fourth-quarter rally to keep their season alive two games in a row. They came through both times.

Two days after outscoring Green Bay 30-9 in the fourth quarter of their 75-58 win in the first round Friday, the Gophers outscored Ole Miss 19-9 in the final frame of Sunday's win.

They made their final three shots to send the frenzied Williams Arena crowd home happy.

Lindsay Whalen offers support

Former Gophers player and coach Lindsay Whalen chimed in on X after the win with one of coach Dawn Plitzuweit's program pillars.

Whalen, even though she watched from the crowd, played a role in Sunday's victory. She recruited standouts Amaya Battle and Mara Braun to the Gophers.

It's over

The Gophers are headed to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2005. Final score: 65-63

Amaya Battle puts the Gophers ahead again

Amaya Battle with a fallaway jumper along the baseline for a 65-63 lead with 0.8 seconds on clock. Unreal plays by the Gophers down the stretch. Huge shot after huge shot.