MARYVILLE, Mo. – The University of Minnesota Crookston women's basketball team fell 53-48 at Northwest Missouri State University Saturday, November 13 at Bearcat Arena in Maryville, Mo. Minnesota Crookston tried to overcome a 37-34 deficit heading into the final quarter, but they were unable to close the gap at the end of the game. The Bearcats out-scored UMN Crookston 17-10 in the second quarter to help spearhead their effort Saturday.

Minnesota Crookston fell to 0-2 with the loss, while Northwest Missouri State improved to 1-1 with the win.

The Golden Eagles were led by Bren Fox (R-Jr., F/C, Norwood Young America, Minn.) with 14 points. Abi Fraaza (Fr., F, Birnamwood, Wis.) added nine points, as did Kylie Post (Sr., G, Corcoran, Minn.). Alex Page (Fr., F, Grand Forks, N.D.) chipped in six points. Mary Burke (Sr., F, Virginia, Minn.) led the Golden Eagles with six rebounds.

Northwest Missouri State was guided by 14 points from Paityn Rau. Peyton Kelderman and Mallory McConkey eah added 10 points.

Both teams struggled from three on the game. The Golden Eagles were just 1-of-9 from beyond the arc for 11.1 percent, while the Bearcats were 3-of-20 for 15.0 percent. The Golden Eagles shot 20-of-52 for 38.5 percent from the field. Northwest Missouri State went 21-of-52 for 40.4 percent. Minnesota Crookston shot 7-of-15 from the foul line for 46.7 percent, while the Bearcats were 8-of-13 from the stripe for 61.5 percent.

The Bearcats won the battle on the glass 35-33. Northwest Missouri State had 17 turnovers compared to 13 for the Golden Eagles.

Minnesota Crookston opened the first quarter with an 8-2 lead led by six points out of the gate by Fox. A bucket from Page extended the Golden Eagle advantage to 10-2. The Bearcats cut the lead to 10-5 following a Rau free throw. UMN Crookston ended the first quarter with a lay-up from Burke, going into the quarter break with a 12-5 advantage.

Minnesota Crookston pushed their lead to 18-11 utilizing a Jes Mertens (So., G, Devils Lake, N.D.) bucket. The Bearcats responded with a 6-0 run using a Rau basket, a pair of Hartnett free throws, and an Evelyn Vasquez lay-in as they came within one point at 18-17 with 4:14 left in the second quarter. Northwest Missouri State extended their run to 8-0 as they overtook UMN Crookston for the lead 19-18 with a Rau lay-in. Minnesota Crookston knotted up the score 19-19 when Fraaza hit 1-of-2 from the foul line with 3:09 remaining in the stanza. Northwest Missouri State took the lead back 21-19 with a Jayna Green jumper with 1:37 left in the quarter. UMN Crookston used a free throw and a basket from Mertens to take a 22-21 advantage. Hartnett hit 1-of-2 from the foul line to knot the game up at 22-22 heading into the half. Northwest Missouri State out-scored Minnesota Crookston 17-10 in the second stanza.

The Bearcats opened up the third quarter on a 7-2 run as they took a 29-24 lead using a McConkey bucket with 7:51 left in the quarter. Minnesota Crookston brought it within three on a Page basket, but a Peyton Kelderman triple extended the lead back out to six (32-26). The Golden Eagles pulled to within 34-30 using a bucket from Fraaza with 4:04 left in the third stanza. UMN Crookston built on their run when Fraaza drained a trey to trim the Bearcat lead to 34-33. Fraaza made it six-straight points to tie the game up 34-34 with a free throw with 1:49 left in the quarter. Northwest Missouri State snapped the 8-0 run for the Golden Eagles with a Kelderman triple as they took the lead back 37-34.

The Golden Eagles opened up the fourth quarter with a Fox jumper to pull within 37-36. Northwest Missouri State countered with a McConkey two to make it 39-36. Minnesota Crookston responded with a pair of Fox free throws to make it 39-38, but Northwest Missouri State came right back with a Jillian Fleming three-pointer to go ahead 42-38. The Golden Eagles responded with a 4-0 run with baskets from Fraaza and Emma Carpenter (Jr., G, Eagan, Minn.) to knot the game up 42-42 with 4:34 left in the game. The Bearcats responded with a 4-0 run of their own as Kelderman and McConkey converted baskets to take the lead 46-42. The Golden Eagles pulled back to within two points (46-44) when Mertens found Page for the hoop. Rau made a crucial basket with 2:36 left to push the advantage to 48-44. UMN Crookston would pull within two points (50-48) on a Fox bucket with 1:32 left in the game. The Golden Eagles fouled late. Green hit 1-of-2 from the stripe to push the Bearcat lead to 51-48.  After a turnover on the offensive end, UMN Crookston was forced to foul again. Hartnett converted both to make it 53-48 with 32 seconds left in the game.

Minnesota Crookston will head to Northern Michigan University Thursday, November 18 at 4:30 p.m. in Marquette, Mich.