HONOLULU, Hawai'I – The University of Minnesota Crookston women's basketball team started the Oahu Classic on a good note as they came back from a five-point deficit late in the second half to pick up a 69-64 win over University of Hawai'I Hilo. The Golden Eagles were led by two clutch threes in pivotal moments from
Ebony Livingston (Sr., G/F, Minneapolis, Minn./Sports and Rec Management). UMC improves to 1-2 on the season, while the Vulcans fall to 0-2 on the year.
Saturday's game was the first for UMC on their Hawai'I trip and was played at St. Francis High School's gymnasium in Honolulu, Hawai'I.
The Golden Eagles were led on the game by
Alexa Thielman (Jr., G, Buffalo, Minn./Health Science), who crashed the boards well on the day with a near double-double of 14 points and nine rebounds. Thielman was 4-of-8 for the game and 2-of-4 from beyond the arc. She added three assists.
Emily Gruber (Fr., F/C, Monticello, Minn./Undecided) was clutch off the bench with 11 points and seven rebounds. Gruber's biggest impact came from the charity stripe where the freshman was an astounding 9-of-10 for the game. Livingston added 10 points on 3-of-10 shooting. Two of her makes came within the last five minutes of the game and were big momentum lifts for UMC as they picked up the win.
Katrina Moenkedick (Jr., F, Perham, Minn./Applied Studies) added nine points and six boards, while
Micaela Noga (Fr., G, Parkers Prairie, Minn./Health Management) came off the bench for nine points and
Isieoma Odor (Fr., F/C, Bloomington, Minn./Health Management) had eight points and five boards.
The Golden Eagles were 22-of-60 on the game for 36.7 percent and were 5-of-17 from beyond the arc for 29.4 percent. Where the game was won was on the glass, where they out-rebounded Hawai'i-Hilo 40-36 led by 14 offensive rebounds. Thielman led the way on the offensive glass with four, while Odor added three.
The Vulcans looked to three players with 13 points. McKenzie Mangino notched a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Hayley Reynolds added 13 points and six boards, while Jordan Kealoha added 13 points and six assists. C.C. Rode added 11 points.
Hawai'i-Hilo was 25-of-56 from the field for 44.6 percent and 4-of-11 from beyond the arc for 62.5 percent.
The Golden Eagles and Vulcans would play tight early on in the game but UMC would get the lead out to 27-21 following a
Megan Taylor (So., C, Estelline, S.D./Animal Science) jumper. However, Hawai'I Hilo would end the first half on a run, out-scoring UMC 10-4 down the stretch as the two teams went into the break tied
After playing it close early on, Hawai'I Hilo would get out to a five-point advantage (58-53) with 5:11 left after a Mangino jumper. However, Livingston came through in a big way for the Golden Eagles as Thielman found her open from three and she sank it, pulling UMC to within two at 58-56.
However, the Vulcans would overcome the first three as they went back up 61-56 following an old-fashioned three-point play from Alexa Jacobs.
UMC would come storming back again as Odor, Thielman and
Maria Loughlin (Jr., G, Rogers, Minn.) all hit buckets to tie it up 62-62 with 2:07 remaining. After a stop on defense, Thielman again found Livingston who stepped up in the clutch with both her parents watching in the crowd to put UMC ahead 65-62 with 1:20 remaining.
The Vulcans would try to come back but clutch free throws down the stretch, iced by free throws from Livingston, would give UMC a 69-64 win.
The Golden Eagles will continue play at the Oahu Classic tomorrow as they take on Hawai'I Pacific University at 8:30 p.m. C.T. at Moanalua High School in Honolulu, Hawai'i.
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).
