CROOKSTON, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Crookston women's basketball team just keeps winning as they took down St. Cloud State University 70-52 Sat., Jan. 9 at Lysaker Gymnasium. The win avenges a Dec. 5 loss to the Huskies at Halenbeck Hall and puts UMC in a three-way tie for first place in the NSIC North with St. Cloud State and Northern State.

The Golden Eagles have won six-straight games and moved to 10-3 (7-2 NSIC) with Saturday's win as the team shot 45.6 percent from the field and 43.5 percent from beyond the arc led by 20 points on 6-of-8 from beyond the arc from stand-out freshman Alison Hughes (G, Janesville, Wis./Early Childhood Education). Hughes also dished out five assists. St. Cloud State fell to 8-5 (7-2 NSIC) with Saturday's loss.

The 10 wins marks the least amount of games it has taken UMC to reach the mark. The Golden Eagles went 10-4 through the first 14 games of the season during the 2004-05 campaign.
In addition to Hughes, the Golden Eagles had Alexa Thielman (Sr., G, Buffalo, Minn./Health Science) and Katrina Nordick (Sr., F, Perham, Minn./Applied Studies) also score in double-figures. Thielman had 14 points, six rebounds and four assists. The senior officially surpassed Amy Kuznia's mark for three-pointers in a career with her first three of the game, which marked the 189^th of her career. Thielman also moved past former teammate Brittani Wiese for fifth all-time with 14 points Saturday.

Nordick had 14 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Micaela Noga (So., G, Parkers Prairie, Minn./Health Management) added nine points and three assists.

The Golden Eagles were 26-of-57 for 45.6 percent from the field and 10-of-23 for 43.5 percent from three.

St. Cloud State was led by a double-double of 16 points and 11 boards from Chelsea Nooker on 8-of-15 from the field. Betsy MacDonald added 10 points. The Huskies were 23-of-63 for 36.5 percent from the field and just 1-of-11 for 9.1 percent from beyond the arc.

The Golden Eagles led by as many as six early in the first quarter as Noga hit a pair of free throws at the 4:04 mark to make it 17-11. St. Cloud State would go on a 8-0 run as they tied up the game on a Nooker jumper and took the lead on a shot from Andrea Thomas. The Golden Eagles would end the quarter on a Hughes three as they led 24-21 going into the second quarter.

St. Cloud State would take the lead back early in the second quarter as Thomas converted a lay-up at the 8:12 mark to put the Huskies up 26-24. The two teams would go back-and-forth the rest of the quarter with UMC taking the lead 37-36 on an Emily Gruber (So. ,F/C, Monticello, Minn./Communications) shot with 49 seconds left in the half.

The Golden Eagles would go on an 18-2 run to open the third quarter as they would lead 55-38 at the 4:38 mark. The Golden Eagle run was led by three treys from Hughes. The Golden Eagles would be able to hold strong and would go into the fourth quarter with a 57-42 advantage. UMC would be able to hold on to the lead throughout the fourth as they took the 70-52 win over St. Cloud State.

UMC will return to play Sun., Jan. 10 at 1 p.m. as they host University of Minnesota Duluth.


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.
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