Box Score ST. CLOUD, Minn. - The University of Minnesota Crookston women's basketball team struggled to put points on the board in the second half as they were out-scored 49-21, falling 87-46 to St. Cloud State University. The Huskies went into the break with the 38-25 advantage but dominated the second half, opening the period on a 21-6 run over the first five minutes at Halenbeck Hall in St. Cloud, Minn. The Golden Eagles fall to 10-15 (7-14 NSIC) with Friday's loss. St. Cloud State improves to 15-10 (11-10 NSIC) sweeping the season series over Minnesota Crookston.

The Golden Eagles were led by 12 points from Katrina Moenkedick (So., F, Perham, Minn./Early Childhood Education), who was 5-of-8 from the field for 62.5 percent. Ebony Livingston (Jr., G/F, Minneapolis, Minn./Sports and Rec Management) had 10 points for UMC on the night. In addition, Alexa Thielman (So., G, Buffalo, Minn./Health Science) chipped in eight points for the Golden Eagles. Minnesota Crookston shot just 17-of-52 from the field for just 32.7 percent. In addition, they struggled to connect on one of their strengths, hitting just 2-of-17 attempts for 11.8 percent from beyond the arc.

St. Cloud State had five players score in double figures on the night. Lexy Petermann came off the bench and contributed in a huge way, with 17 points and four rebounds to pace the Huskies. In addition, guard Sam Price added 14 points, as did Jessica Benson. Benson was 7-of-9 from the field. She chipped in nine rebounds and five assists for the Huskies. Rachael Moen added 11 points, while Emma Konopasek added 10 for St. Cloud State.

The Huskies had a strong night from the field, connecting on 34-of-64 attempts for 53.1 percent. St. Cloud State added seven three-pointers on 18 attempts for 38.9 percent on the night. They also controlled the glass for the night, out-rebounding Minnesota crookston 47-25.

The two teams played toe-to-toe out of the gate with the game knotted at 11-11 at the 15:03 mark as Thielman sunk a three-pointer for the Golden Eagles. The Huskies would push out to an 18-13 lead with 12:27 left as Konopasek made a lay-up. However, UMC would get to within 18-15 as Livingston hit a lay-up with 11:58 left in the half.

From there though, the Golden Eagles would not score for two minutes as St. Cloud State took the 24-16 lead following a Benson bucket at the 8:43 mark. Thielman would break the scoreless streak with a three to make it 24-19 and Moenkedick would follow with a bucket of her own to get UMC back to within three at 24-21 with 6:40 left in the first half.  UMC would remain within three points with 3:49 remaining.

St. Cloud State would close the first half off strong though, as they out-scored Minnesota Crookston 12-2 in the final 3:30 to go into the break with a 38-25 advantage. The Huskies' push was led by eight points off the bench from Petermann.

The Huskies would continue their momentum into the second half, as they out-scored UMC 21-6 in the first five minutes led by the play of Jessica Benson, who had eight points out of the gate for St. Cloud State University. The Huskies would lead 59-31 at the 14:40 mark. The Huskies would continue their strong play throughout the rest of the second half, taking the win 87-46.

The Golden Eagles will wrap up the regular season against University of Minnesota Duluth Sat., Feb. 22 at 4 p.m. Minnesota Crookston is secured in the seventh seed in the NSIC North with a loss by Bemidji State University and a win by University of Minnesota Duluth Friday. The Golden Eagles will have a rematch with Minnesota State University, Mankato, who is on a nine-game winning streak right now. The game will be played in Mankato, Minn. at the Taylor Center Wed., Feb. 26 with a chance to advance in the NSIC/Sanford Health Tournament. The Golden Eagles and Mavericks played just last weekend with Minnesota State winning 69-57 at Lysaker Gymnasium.

For more information, visit the Golden Eagle Athletics website at www.goldeneaglesports.com.

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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).