MINNEAPOLIS (Interstat) — Mara Braun scored 19 points and Minnesota controlled the paint from start to finish in an 86-47 victory over Southern in a women’s NCAA Division I basketball game Tuesday at Williams Arena. The Golden Gophers improved to 3-0. The Lady Jaguars fell to 0-3. A crowd of 3,646 watched Minnesota build a 40-24 halftime lead and pull away after the break.

Minnesota led 24-18 after the first quarter and 40-24 at halftime. Southern scored 18 points in each of the first two quarters, five in the third and six in the fourth. Minnesota scored 24 in the first, 20 in the second, 26 in the third and 16 in the fourth. The Golden Gophers extended the margin with a 26-point third quarter while Southern managed five points in the period. Zaria Hurston opened the scoring with a floating jump shot for Southern, but Minnesota answered with a Tayla Thomas layup and back-to-back 3-pointers from Braun. Demya Porter made a layup for Southern, Leah Harmon answered with a layup for Minnesota, and Grace Grocholski added a layup. Tori Oehrlein made one free throw, Jestiny Dixon made two free throws for Southern, Thomas made one free throw and Gracie Merkle closed the first-quarter scoring with a layup. In the second quarter, Taelar Felton made a layup, Natalie Kussow answered with a layup, and Felton made two free throws. Diamond Hunter made a floating jump shot for Southern, Merkle made two layups around a Felton driving layup, Harmon made a layup, and Dixon made a jump shot. Grocholski made a 3-pointer and a layup, Merkle made a hook shot, Jocelyn Tate made a pullup jumper for Southern, Braun made a jumper and a layup, and Anaja Hall made a hook shot. Deniya Thornton hit a 3-pointer for Southern, Braun made a 3-pointer, and Felton made two free throws before halftime.

Braun, a 6-foot guard from Wayzata, Minnesota, finished with 19 points, four rebounds, one assist and one block in 24 minutes. Tayla Thomas added nine points, seven rebounds, two assists and two blocks. Gracie Merkle had 12 points, three rebounds and one assist. Natalie Kussow chipped in 11 points, five rebounds, four assists and one block, while Grace Grocholski had 11 points, six rebounds and three assists. For Southern, Taelar Felton scored 10 points and had three assists, Zaria Hurston scored seven, Makena Christian added five points, one rebound and two assists for Minnesota, Jestiny Dixon scored 10 for Southern, and Anaja Hall had six points and two rebounds.

Southern shot 15 of 47 from the floor, 3 of 14 from 3-point range and 14 of 19 from the free-throw line. Minnesota was 32 of 58 from the floor, 6 of 18 from beyond the arc and 16 of 29 from the free-throw line. Minnesota held a 16-4 edge in offensive rebounds, scored 50 points in the paint to Southern’s 14 and converted 25 points off 25 Southern turnovers while Southern scored 13 points off 18 Minnesota turnovers. The Golden Gophers had 16 assists and five blocks. The Lady Jaguars had 12 assists. Southern scored 47 points from 77 possessions with an offensive rating of 61.0. Minnesota scored 86 points from 74 possessions with an offensive rating of 116.6.

The most important stretch came after halftime. Leading 40-24, Minnesota opened the third quarter with Tayla Thomas making two free throws and two layups. Gracie Merkle added two layups and Mara Braun made two free throws and a layup as the Golden Gophers pushed the lead to 20. Southern got a 3-pointer from Taniya Lawson and baskets from Jestiny Dixon and Anaja Hall, but Minnesota answered each time. Zaria Hurston made a 3-pointer late in the third to cut the margin to 60-42, then Minnesota put the game away early in the fourth. Natalie Kussow opened the fourth with a layup and free throw, Braun made two free throws, Makena Christian hit a 3-pointer, Kussow scored twice more and Zoey Bershers made a 3-pointer as Minnesota built a 77-42 advantage. Southern’s Taelar Felton made free throws, Kylee Paben made a free throw for Minnesota, and Adit Kuol added a layup and free throw in the closing minutes. Minnesota’s lead grew to as many as 35 points in the fourth quarter. Southern never led after the opening basket.

Southern had lost at Illinois and at Oklahoma State in its first two games. Minnesota had beaten Harvard and Marquette. Braun entered after scoring 11 points at Marquette and four against Harvard. Southern next hosts Louisiana Christian, then visits Oklahoma, Notre Dame, Syracuse, Oregon State, Oregon, Colorado State, Washington and Iowa. Minnesota next faces Kansas State in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, then plays Kansas, Central Michigan, Missouri State, Cincinnati, Saint Thomas, Purdue, Northern Iowa, Missouri-Kansas City and Mercyhurst.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected Minnesota 71, Southern 58. Interstat’s ELO system gave Minnesota a 98.9 percent probability to win.