Souhan: Then Amaya Battle Came Off the Bench...

[Ignatius L Hoops]

Gophers women show headliner potential in victorious opener

Freshmen Amaya Battle and Mara Braun unleash potential in their college debuts.

www.startribune.com

With Battle running the point, Braun would make five of her last six shots in the half, unveiling a pure jumper and a feel for winding through the lane.

Braun was the scoring star, scoring a game-high 21 points to go with seven rebounds, two assists and four steals. How many freshmen get four steals in their debut?

Battle provided the initial spark. She would finish with six points, nine assists, eight rebounds, a steal and two blocked shots — and a game-best plus-33 rating.