Wills Shines While Harvard Falls to No. 17 Minnesota 82-62 In Season Opener

Although Harvard hung within single digits of No. 17 Minnesota for the first 35 minutes and trailed by just two points entering the fourth quarter, the Crimson allowed the Golden Gophers to go on a 24-4 run in the span of eight crunch-time minutes and fell 82-62 in Minneapolis, Minn., on Monday.

The most promising sign for Harvard (0-1) in its season opener against Minnesota (1-0) was a stellar performance by sophomore forward Sam Wills. Playing 20 minutes off the bench, the Mendota Heights, Minn., native scored 20 points in her return to her home state, going eight-for-eight from the field and four-for-four from beyond the arc while adding four rebounds and two steals.

Last season, Wills played just eight games and 24 total minutes and made her only field goal in her career debut. After the entire team made a stop at Wills’ home on Sunday night to visit her family, the sophomore showed out against a ranked opponent in front of a home crowd.

But Wills’ career day was not enough to overcome the Golden Gophers, who finished last season ranked 15th in the AP Poll and made it to the 2026 Sweet Sixteen. Minnesota repeatedly established its physical dominance over Harvard in the painted area, repeatedly passing up mid-range looks in favor of attacking the rim and getting to the line with ease.

The Golden Gophers finished 25-for-28 from the charity stripe (89 percent), and drew 24 fouls while committing just 10. They also scored 44 points in the paint, despite only scoring 48 points inside the arc.

Guard Karlee White and forward Abigail Wright both struggled against a staunch defense in the first game of their senior captaincies. White recorded 11 points, five assists, and four steals but shot five-for-20 from the field, one-for-12 from deep, and had seven turnovers. Wright, meanwhile, scored eight points and brought down seven rebounds on three-for-13 shooting, and fouled out of the game late.

Sophomore guard Olivia Jones also fouled out in the fourth quarter, but scored 14 points and had five rebounds. After a slow first half on the glass, Harvard finished with 19 offensive rebounds, marking significant improvement over last year’s tally of about 13.6 per game.

On the other side, six-foot-six senior center Gracie Merkle scored 22 points on 10-for-11 efficiency around the cup and brought down 11 rebounds. Senior guard Grace Grocholski scored 20 points and made all three of the Golden Gophers’ three-pointers.

Both teams began the game shaking off rust from a long offseason, with the two squads combining for five missed shots on their first six attempts. White scored Harvard’s first four points, with her second bucket coming off of a steal near half-court and a breakaway layup.

Jones drilled threes from the left corner and left edge to tie the game at 10-10 with three and a half minutes to go in the first quarter. However, the Golden Gophers made their way into the bonus late in the period and drilled five of six free throws in the final 2:06 of the first to take a 17-14 lead after 10 minutes.

Merkle started the second quarter with back-to-back finishes in the post, but Harvard stuck with Minnesota by hitting timely threes to eventually tie the game at 23. But the Golden Gophers finished the half strong, utilizing two more post finishes by Merkle in the final 70 seconds before the break to take a 7-0 run and a 37-29 lead into halftime.

In the first half, the Crimson’s full-court trap defense applied pressure on the host and forced eight turnovers. But when Minnesota broke the press, its physical advantages over Harvard made the difference in the first 20 minutes. Twenty-four of the Golden Gophers’ first-half points came in the paint, and they outrebounded the Crimson 27-19 before the break.

Following halftime, Harvard’s run-and-jump defense started to experience more success, as Minnesota turned the ball over four times in the first two minutes. Two of those turnovers turned into steals by White, and after the captain hit a three from the left corner, the Crimson had tied the game at 37 and forced a timeout.

The Golden Gophers responded by settling in against the press and going on a seven-point run of their own with three layups. With three and a half minutes to go in the quarter, the hosts led by eight.

Wills hit a three and a second-chance layup, but after a turnaround mid-range by White sandwiched between two-for-two trips to the line by the hosts, Harvard still trailed by five with a minute left in the third quarter.

Jones knocked down a step-back three from the top of the key off a ball screen, then a Wills steal created a fastbreak opportunity where Jones got her own rebound off a missed fadeaway and put in a floater while being fouled. After converting the and-one opportunity, the visiting team led 52-51 with 18 seconds left in the period.

Any hopes for a ranked upset by Harvard unraveled from there as foul trouble and fatigue seemed to catch up to the visitors.

Grocholski nailed a deep three to end the quarter, then knocked down a shot from mid-range on Minnesota’s first possession of the fourth to extend its lead to 56-52. Then, the Golden Gophers focused on what they do best: attacking the rim and making the game physical to draw fouls from the visitor.

Minnesota ended the game going 10-for-10 from the line in the fourth quarter, and went on a 24-4 run that put them up 75-56 with 2:11 left in the game. By that point, the game was too far gone for the Crimson, and while Wills hit her fourth three of the game late, the Golden Gophers finished with a 20-point win to start their non-conference slate, which includes Kansas and Marquette.

Harvard will return to Lavietes Pavilion on Thursday for its home opener, taking on Boston College at 7 p.m. EST. Last year, the Crimson took down the Eagles 72-65 in overtime behind a 23-point, 13-rebound double-double by Wright.

—Staff writer Samuel S. Rudavsky can be reached at [email protected].