Moorhead, Minn.—Minnesota Crookston women's basketball was looking to get into the win column Saturday afternoon at Minnesota State University Moorhead inside Nemzek Hall. The Dragons would outscore the Golden Eagles by 11 in the fourth quarter to defeat Minnesota Crookston, 83-64.

With the loss, the Golden Eagles fall to 0-4 (0-2 NSIC North) on the season, while the Dragons improve to 3-1 (2-0 NSIC North)

Key Plays
In the first quarter, the Golden Eagles would take an early 7-6 leads, highlighted by an old-fashioned three-point play by Bren Fox (Jr., C, Norwood Young America, Minn.) and a three-point make from Mary Burke (R-So., G, Virginia, Minn.).

The Dragons would extend their lead to 18-9, but Minnesota Crookston would go on a quick 4-0 run, with the help of an Emma Carpenter (So., G, Eagan, Minn.) layup. Minnesota Crookston would trail 20-15 at the end of the first quarter.

Minnesota Crookston would trail by as much as 19 in the second quarter, but the young Golden Eagles would slowly chip away at the Dragons.

Kylie Post (Jr., G, Corcoran, Minn.) would get the run started with a layup and the harm. Jes Mertens (Fr., G, Devils Lake, N.D.) would score five straight points to cut the Dragons lead to 12. Another freshman, Eden Golliher (Fr., F, Iron River, Mich.) would score four straight points to cut the lead to just nine, 39-30. The Golden Eagles would trail 41-32 following the first half of play.

Much like they did last night, the Dragons would start out the second half strong, extending their lead to 48-32. Once again, Minnesota Crookston would start to chip away and get to within six, following a Post pull-up jumper.
In the fourth quarter, Minnesota Crookston would pull within just five, following a three-point play from Fox at 62-57.

The Dragons would pull away midway through the fourth, using a 21-7 run in the final six minutes to upend the Golden Eagles.

Key Stats
The Golden Eagles continued to show balance in today's game. Minnesota Crookston had four players in double-figures, led by Post, who finished with 17 on 7-11 shooting from the floor. Fox scored 13 points, while Mertens reached double-figures for the second straight game, scoring 10 points while collecting five steals as well. Mertens has 19 steals on the season, which leads the NSIC. Burke also scored 12 points on the night. Golliher scored a career-high seven points on 2-5 shooting from the floor.

As a team, Minnesota Crookston shot the ball well for the second straight weekend, shooting 43 percent from the field. The Golden Eagles had 13 turnovers, compared to 10 for the Dragons. The deciding factor was the rebounding, as the Golden Eagles were outrebounded, 43-28.

What's Next
Minnesota Crookston is finally back at home next weekend, as they host Northern State for the home opener inside Gary Senske Court at Lysaker Gymnasium at 5:30 p.m. Minnesota Crookston will also celebrate their three seniors on Saturday afternoon: Abby Guidinger (Sr., F, Waukesha, Wis.), Ashley Fruend (Sr., F, Jordan, Minn.) and Jen Lax (Sr., G, Sleepy Eye, Minn.).