Box Score WAYNE, Neb.- The University of Minnesota Crookston women's basketball team led during the majority of the first half but fell 67-56 to No. 11 Wayne State College (Neb.) Friday night at Rice Auditorium in Wayne, Neb. The Golden Eagles were led by 22 points from Katrina Moenkedick (So., F, Perham, Minn./Early Childhood Education). Minnesota Crookston drops to 6-7 (3-6 NSIC) with Friday's loss. Wayne State improves to 15-1 (8-1 NSIC).

Moenkedick went 9-of-21 from the field to lead the Golden Eagles. In addition to her 22 points, Moenkedick grabbed seven boards on the game. Jaya Perkins (So., G, Lakeville, Minn./Criminal Justice) came off the bench for 11 points while Ebony Livingston (Jr., G/F, Minneapolis, Minn./Sports and Rec Management) added nine points.

The Wildcats shut down one of UMC's leading scorers Alexa Thielman (So., G, Buffalo, Minn./Health Science). Thielman finished with just five points, after coming in averaging 15 points per game. Thielman did dish out five assists on the game. The Golden Eagles finished the game shooting 23-of-59 for 39 percent and connected on 5-of-13 treys for 38.5 percent.

Wayne State finished the game shooting 24-of-63 for 39.7 percent. They struggled from downtown, connecting on just 4-of-24 attempts for 16.7 percent. One area where Wayne State did dominate was on the boards, where they out-rebounded UMC 46-31. UMC was led by Moenkedick's seven boards. The Wildcats were paced by 13 rebounds from Ellen Hansen and Jordan Spencer.

The Wildcats were led on the day by 22 points from Jordan Spencer, who finished with a double-double. Ashton Yossi added 21 points for the game while Hansen and Addy Roller each had nine.

Minnesota Crookston went into the break down 30-23 to the Wildcats. Moenkedick led UMC in the first half with 11 points. The Golden Eagles got out an early 14-8 advantage on the 11th-ranked Wayne State squad after a Thielman lay-up with 11:48 remaining.

The Wildcats slowly cut down the UMC advantage after a 7-0 run would knot the game up at 15-15 with 8:28 remaining in the first half. The Wayne State run was led by the Spencer sisters Jordan and Jaylan, who accounted for all seven points to knot up the game. UMC would push their lead back out to four after a Perkins jumper at the 4;28 mark. However, Wayne State would go on another run, closing out the half on an 11-0 run to go into the break with the 30-23 advantage. Jordan Spencer led the run with six points.
Wayne State would control things early on in the second half, extending their lead to 14 at the 17:29 mark after a Yossi trey. However UMC wouldn't let down as they would cut the Wildcat lead to six with 11:38 remaining in the half led by seven points from Livingston and five from Moenkedick. The Golden Eagles would get as close as four points after a free throw from Erika McRoberts (So., F, Byron, Minn./Health Science) but that would be as close as UMC would get.

Wayne State would control the remainder of the second half to hold on for the victory despite UMC's best efforts for the majority of Friday night's contest.

Minnesota Crookston will face Augustana College (S.D.) Sat., Jan. 11 at 4 p.m., as they continue their road trip.

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).