At halftime against No. 21 USC, Minnesota head coach Dawn Plitzuweit walked into the locker room and saw that her team was losing and the Trojans were on a roll. What happened next would not only decide the outcome of the 63-62 win, but it would also show who Plitzuweit has been building over three seasons: a team led by players who can handle pressure.

For Plitzuweit, the difference between the two halves came down to one thing: effort.

“I just don’t think our effort was where it needed to be,” Plitzuweit stated in her postgame press conference.

“USC can score in transition, and they were doing that against us. Our players’ awareness to make those adjustments was really important for this game, and they did that.”

The numbers backed up Plitzuweit’s message at halftime.

Minnesota turned a 34–30 halftime deficit into a statement win by forcing seven turnovers in the fourth quarter and turning those mistakes into eight important points. The Golden Gophers took advantage of USC’s 17 turnovers to score 16 points. They also had a 40-32 rebounding edge.

Grace Grocholski spearheaded the comeback.

She scored 10 points during a crucial 14-0 run that erased a 13-point deficit and put Minnesota ahead 48-46 going into the last period.

Plitzuweit stressed the intangibles that made the comeback possible, especially her team’s mental toughness.

“We weren’t scoring very efficiently at all. When that happens, a lot of players will start to hang their heads and won’t battle like these young ladies did,” she noted.

The coach highlighted how individual efforts came together: “Mara Braun’s tenacity to rebound was really special. Brenna Glenn gave us a really good boost defensively, making a lot of things happen for us.”

That dominance on the boards led to a shocking 23-2 lead in second-chance points, with Mara Braun grabbing 10 rebounds to go along with the team’s 18 offensive boards. Minnesota’s extra possessions made the difference in getting their first win over a ranked opponent since 2019 and improving to 12-4 overall. This control of the glass proved decisive, as Minnesota’s extra possessions were enough to overcome their struggles at the free-throw line, where they made only 6 of 12 attempts in the final quarter.

While Minnesota celebrated a signature win, USC had to face the harsh truth when it left the court.

Dawn Plitzuweit’s Minnesota exposes USC’s mounting problems

The Trojans have lost three in a row, bringing their record to 10-6 and 2-3 in Big Ten play. This team was in the top 20 when the season started, but they’ve already lost as many games as they did in the whole regular season last year. The wheels are falling off.

Kennedy Smith’s injury has left a big hole. USC has lost both games without her and looks like a totally different team.

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Jazzy Davidson showed exactly what’s wrong: she scored 15 points in the second quarter and then only six points in the last three quarters. When your best player is quiet for three-quarters of the game, it’s almost impossible to win.

From here on out, the schedule doesn’t get any easier.

USC is below .500 in conference play, with more ranked teams to come. Last season’s formula isn’t working in the Big Ten either.

The game against Maryland on Thursday night could be the most important one of the season. Peacock will air the game at 6 p.m. Pacific time. USC needs a win badly to stop the bleeding before this promising season slips away completely.