Crookston, Minn.—Minnesota Crookston women's basketball opened up the 2019-20 season down in Kearney, Neb., doing battle with the Lopers of Nebraska-Kearney.
Nebraska-Kearney used a 15 point halftime lead to defeat the Golden Eagles 79-69.
With the loss, Minnesota Crookston falls to 0-1 overall, while the Lopers improve to 1-0 on the young season.
Minnesota Crookston was led by
Bren Fox (So., C, Norwood Young America), who had 23 points and eight rebounds.
Mary Burke (R-Fr., F, Virginia, Minn.) and
Paige Cornale (So., G, Oak Creek, Wis.) also added double-digit points, finishing with 13 and 11, respectively.
Julia Peplinski (So., F, Hustisford, Wis.) finished with six points and six rebounds as well.
As a team, the Golden Eagles were 29-56 from the field, good for 51.8 percent and shot 6-17 from behind the arc, good for 35.3 percent. Minnesota Crookston also won the rebound margin, outrebounding the Lopers 39-32 on the night.
The first four minutes of the game saw both teams match baskets. Burke (R-Fr., F, Virginia, Minn.), who was playing in her first game since November of last season, scored the first basket of the season for the Golden Eagles with a three. Haley Simental answered with a three for the Lopers. That three would be a sign to come for the Golden Eagles, as Simental finished the night with four three's made and 26 points.
The Golden Eagles would lead 13-12 after a Fox layup, but the Lopers would close out the first quarter on an 8-2 run to lead 20-15.
Minnesota Crookston scored the first three points of the second quarter to cut the UNK lead to 20-18, but the Lopers would answer with a 9-0 run to take an 11 point lead midway through the second stanza.
UNK would stretch their lead to as big as 16 late in the second quarter and would head into the halftime break with a comfortable 43-28 lead.
The young Golden Eagles wouldn't go away quietly. The Golden Eagles, trailing by as much as 14, used their strong sophomore class to chip away into the lead. It started with a Cornale three, followed by a
Kylea Praska (So., G, Thief River Falls, Minn.) layup and then another Burke three to cut the lead to nine.
Minnesota Crookston would go on a mini 6-0 run, helped by Fox, Praska and
Abby Guidinger (Jr., G, Waukesha, Wis.), who scored her first points of the night to cut the lead to 49-46, the closest the Golden Eagles got since early in the second quarter.
Guidinger would bury her first three of the game and the season to make it just a two point lead at the end of the third quarter.
Alyssa Peterson (Fr., G, Menahga, Minn.) buried her first shot in a Golden Eagle uniform and it was a big one, burying a three to cut the lead to just one at 63-62.
Minnesota Crookston would once again make it a one point game at 65-64, but the Lopers finished the game on a 14-4 run to win the regular season opener.
Minnesota Crookston is back in action tomorrow afternoon against Northwest Missouri State from Kearney, Neb. Tip-off is set for 3:30 p.m.
