CROOKSTON, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Crookston women's basketball team went down to the wire but Devon Brecke's free throws would help lead Northern State University to the 76-70 win. The victory for Northern State separated the Wolves from the pack putting Northern State in lone possession of first for the NSIC North. UMC falls 13-5 (10-4 NSIC) with the loss, while Northern State improved to 15-4 (11-3 NSIC). The Golden Eagles are now in a three-way tie for second in the NSIC North with St. Cloud State University and Minnesota State University Moorhead.

The Golden Eagles had a balanced effort Saturday evening led by 19 points and nine boards from Alexa Thielman (Sr., G, Buffalo, Minn./Health Science). She was 7-of-15 from the field and 3-of-6 from beyond the arc. Her fellow senior Katrina Nordick (F, Perham, Minn./Applied Studies) added 18 points and seven rebounds. Micaela Noga (So., G, Parkers Prairie, Minn./Health Management) had a strong second half and finished with 13 points, while Isieoma Odor (R-Fr., F/C, Bloomington, Minn./Health Management) had a great game off the bench with 12 points on a perfect 6-of-6 from the field.

The Golden Eagles were 26-of-64 from the field for 40.6 percent from the field. UMC struggled from beyond the arc, as they were just 5-of-20 for 25 percent from beyond the arc. The Golden Eagles were 13-of-17 for 76.5 percent from beyond the arc.

Northern State was led by a great outing from Jill Conrad, who had 32 points and six boards. She was 14-of-18 from the field and 3-of-5 from beyond the arc. Lauren Deadrick added 13 points and six boards, while Miranda Ristau came off the bench for 10 points and nine boards.

UMC was 29-of-59 for 49.2 percent from the field and were 6-of-15 for 40 percent. Northern State was 12-of-19 for 63.2 percent from the free-throw line.

It would take over two minutes for either team to score until Conrad would get a lay-up with 7:53 left in the first quarter. The Wolves would be able to get out to a 9-4 lead with 3:52 left in the quarter following a Paige Waytashek three. UMC would strike back and get the lead back, hitting a Thielman trey with 2:03 left in the quarter. The Golden Eagles would knot up the game 17-17 on a Thielman jumper.

UMC was able to take a lead and get it to five points following a Hughes three-point play to make it 24-19 with 7:39 left in the second quarter. UMC's lead would be extended to nine on an Odor lay-up with 5:44 remaining. The Golden Eagles would keep a nine-point lead after an Odor lay-up with 57 seconds left in the second quarter.

Northern State would get their deficit down to three early in the third quarter when Waytashek made a jumper to make it 37-34. However, UMC would be able to get the lead back out to eight following Nordick free throws with 7:08 left in the third quarter.

The Wolves would get back-to-back three-pointers from Conrad and Gabby Laimer to knot the game up 50-50 with 2:32 left in the quarter. That is when Noga took over, scoring her first points of the game and tallying nine points in just a minute of play to get UMC up 59-52. After a Conrad trey, UMC would go into the break with a 59-55 advantage.

Northern State wouldn't be behind for long as a three from Laimer and a jumper from Conrad would put the Wolves up 60-59 with 8:56 left in the game. UMC would be able to take their lead back as Noga came through again to hit a jumper to make it 66-65.

However, UMC would be unable to hit their shots and Northern State would use a 7-0 run led by their free throw shooting to extend their lead to 73-66. The Wolves would be able to hang on for a 76-70 win.

Minnesota Crookston will continue their home stand as they take on Upper Iowa University Fri., Jan. 29 at 6 p.m. and No. 14 Winona State University Sat., Jan. 30 at 4 p.m.
For more information, visit the Golden Eagle Athletics website at www.goldeneaglesports.com.

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The University of Minnesota Crookston is a NCAA Division II university located in the Red River Valley of Northwest Minnesota. UMC sponsors 11 intercollegiate athletic teams with membership in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate conference (NSIC) and the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA). The NSIC is a 16-team conference with schools situated in Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota and Nebraska.