Duluth, Minn.—Sarah Grow made one out of two free throws with four seconds left to give Minnesota Duluth a 68-67 victory on Saturday afternoon from Romano Gymnasium.
 
With the loss, the Golden Eagles fall to 2-10 overall (1-7 NSIC), while the Bulldogs stay atop the NSIC North and improve to 11-3 overall (8-0 NSIC).
 
The Bulldogs jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead, but Kylie Post (So., G, Corcoran, Minn.) halted the quick start with a pull-up jumper, to make it 5-2.
 
Despite shooting 2-16 from the field in the first quarter, the Golden Eagles would trail by just nine at the end of the first quarter, 18-9.
 
The second quarter was arguably the Golden Eagles' best of the season. The Golden Eagles quickly changed their fortune in the second quarter, shooting an outstanding 79 percent from the field, which was up from their 12.5 percent shooting from the field in the previous quarter.
 
Abby Guidinger (Jr., F, Waukesha, Wis.) was a big reason for the second quarter turnaround, had 10 of her 19 points in the second stanza.
 
Minnesota Crookston would outscore the Bulldogs 26-13 in the second quarter.
 
The third and fourth quarter would be back-and-forth. The Bulldogs would take a 54-49 lead early in the fourth. Much like was the case in the second quarter, the young Golden Eagles would have an answer. Mary Burke (R-Fr. F, Virginia, Minn.) and Paige Cornale (So., G, Oak Creek, Wis.) would score six straight points to take a one point lead.
 
Burke would have a career night, scoring a career-high 16 points on 6-8 shooting from the field and buried a career-high four 3-point makes.
 
Minnesota Duluth would regain the lead, one of 12 lead changes on the night and would have a 64-62 lead, before Alyssa Peterson (Fr., G, Menahga, Minn.) made a layup to tie the game at 64.
 
That's when things got wild. Minnesota Duluth would get two free throw makes from Ann Simonet, followed by Julia Peplinski's (So., F, Hustisford, Wis.) two free throw makes, to knot things at 66. The Golden Eagles would get a stop and eventually, a loose ball would find the hands of Peterson, who got fouled. Peterson would go 1-2 from the free throw line to give the Golden Eagles a 67-66 lead with 47 seconds left.
 
With the score tied, Minnesota Crookston would have a chance to win the game, but Guidinger was blocked with four seconds left by Sarah Grow, who was then fouled by the Golden Eagles.
 
Grow would go 1-2 from the line, but the Golden Eagles weren't able to get off a shot off and fell 68-67.
 
Individually, the Golden Eagles were led by Guidinger, who finished with 19 points and four rebounds. Burke finished with 16 and four, while Peterson scored nine points and seven rebounds. The Golden Eagles got 32 bench points, including six from Peplinski, five from Paige Weakley (Sr., G, Kearney, Mo.) and three from Cornale.
 
As a team, Minnesota Crookston shot 40 percent from the field and outrebounded the Bulldogs 48-38.
 
Minnesota Crookston returns home for the first time in the new decade, next Friday night, when they host the Wolves of Northern State. Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m.