Box Score (Crookston, Minn.)- The University of Minnesota, Crookston Women's Basketball team returned to Lysaker Gymnasium this afternoon for the team's second NSIC contest of the season. UMC was coming off a tough overtime loss to Minnesota Duluth while Bemidji State was riding a surprising victory over MSU Moorhead on Friday night. BSU opened a 10-0 lead to start the game but UMC would respond and outscore BSU 35-17 through the remainder of the half. The Golden Eagles led by as many as 23 in the second half and went on to an 82-66 NSIC victory.
 
The Golden Eagles struggled at the beginning of the game, unable to score in the first five minutes despite several attempts. However, the Golden Eagles would not give up so easily. After Bemidji scored an unanswered ten points, the Golden Eagles began to tighten up on defense and slowly chip away at the Beaver's lead. Megan Eul (F, 5-10, Sr., Rosemount Minn.) put up the first two points of the half on made free-throws. Ashley Martell (G, 5-8, Fr., Somerset, Wis.) and Eul were able to dominate at the arc by scoring two consecutive three-pointers to help bring Minnesota, Crookston back into the game. The Golden Eagles were finally able to take the lead as Lauren Kessler (C, 6-1, Jr., Albertville Minn.) took and buried two well placed shots and helped send UMC into halftime up 35-27.
 
The beginning of the second half was a completely different story compared to the first 20 minutes of play. The Golden Eagles came out on a 5-0 run within the first three minutes of the half. With numerous fouls hanging over the Beaver's heads, the Golden Eagles were able to keep the momentum rolling in their favor. Brittani Wiese (G, 5-7, Jr., Albertville Minn.) sported her ball handling skills, coming up with numerous rebounds and clutch shots in order to help the Golden Eagles keep their commanding 17 point lead. Late in the second half, Bemidji State began to play press defense in an attempt slow the Golden Eagles explosive offense. However, the Golden Eagles would not budge as Martell completed five three pointers at the arc, allowing the Golden Eagles to continue on their scoring frenzy for the remainder of the second half to take the 82-66 victory.
 
The Golden Eagles were led by Wiese who tallied a game-high 19 points. She was 7-15 from the field and 5-6 from the free-throw line. Wiese added to her season dime count as she assisted on seven more baskets tonight. Martell followed Wiese with a career-high 18 points. She was 5-9 from the field and hit a career-high five three-pointers in the contest and went 3-4 from the charity stripe. Eul finished the game with 15 points and a game-high nine rebounds. She was nothing short of perfect at the line going 10-10. Laurie Tyson (C, 6-1, Jr., Rosemount, Minn.) played big down low grabbing a game-high four rebounds and blocking a game-high three BSU shots. Minnesota, Crookston shot a staggering 90.3% (28-31) from the free-throw line en route to the team's first NSIC victory of the season.
 
Bemidji State was led by Ellie Wessling who scored 13 points. She was 4-10 from the field, 4-4 from the charity stripe and grabbed a team-high five rebounds. Kate Warmack and Shannon Thompson followed with 12 and 11 points respectively while Morgan Lee dished a team-high four assists.
 
Minnesota, Crookston is 4-2 on the season and 1-1 in conference play. Bemidji State falls to 3-3 overall and 1-1 in the NSIC. The Golden Eagles return to the court on Saturday, December 10 when the team travels to MSU Moorhead for a single NSIC weekend game. Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m.
 
For more information, visit the Golden Eagle Athletics website at: www.goldeneaglesports.com.   
 
Follow the Golden Eagles on Facebook at Golden Eagle Sports and on Twitter at #UMCAthletics.
 
The University of Minnesota, Crookston is an NCAA Division II Institution and a member of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC). The Golden Eagle Equestrian team is a member of the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA).
 
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