WAYNE, Neb. – The University of Minnesota Crookston women's basketball team held off a late charge from Wayne State College (Neb.) to earn a key road victory 74-72. The Wildcats caused six turnovers in the final five minutes using a full-court press to put pressure on the Golden Eagles, who had a 12-point lead with over eight minutes left in the game. Minnesota Crookston made key shots and plays down the stretch to earn Saturday's win.

Minnesota Crookston moved to 9-11 (8-6 NSIC) with the victory over Wayne State. The Wildcats fell to 10-8 (6-8 NSIC) with the loss. Minnesota Crookston picked up their second-consecutive win over Wayne State. The victory is UMN Crookston's first at Rice Auditorium since a 67-58 win on December 12, 2014. Minnesota Crookston is in fourth place in the NSIC North.

The Golden Eagles were led by a double-double from Bren Fox (R-Sr., F/C, Norwood Young America, Minn.) with 18 points and 12 rebounds. Fox has seven double-doubles this season. Emma Miller (Fr., G, Albertville, Minn.) chipped in 22 points and five assists. Erika Lane (So., G, Breezy Point, Minn.) added 15 points. Alex Page (So., F, Grand Forks, N.D.) chipped in eight points. Nicole Hernandez (Jr., F/C, Oak Creek, Wis.) came off the bench for seven points and seven boards.

The Golden Eagles shot 22-of-50 for 44.0 percent from the field. UMN Crookston went 9-of-20 from beyond the arc for 45.0 percent. Minnesota Crookston made it count at the free throw line, especially down the stretch, as they went 21-of-26 for 80.8 percent. Minnesota Crookston outrebounded Wayne State 41-34 on the night.

The Wildcats looked to 20 points off the bench from Lauren Zacharias. Kassidy Pingel chipped in 15 points. Maya Fitzpatrick finished with 12 points. Wayne State shot 28-of-74 from the field for 37.8 percent. They were 9-of-28 for 32.1 percent from behind the three-point line. The Wildcats were 7-of-9 for 77.8 percent from the line.

The Wildcats jumped out to an 8-2 advantage following an Ashley Gustavson triple with 7:53 remaining in the first stanza. Minnesota Crookston was able to keep the deficit at six points (13-7) following a Hernandez free throw. That would be the tally going into the quarter break. Neither team scored a field goal for a four-minute stretch.

The Wildcats pushed their advantage to 16-7 following a Pingel trey. Minnesota Crookston responded with a 7-0 run as an Erika Lane triple brought the Golden Eagles within two (16-14). The Golden Eagles made it a 10-0 run as Hernandez hit a trey on the wing to give UMN Crookston a 17-16 lead. Wayne State halted the run with an Abby Kopecky floater with 5:50 remaining in the second stanza. The Wildcats pushed their lead to 20-17 with a Zacharias steal and fast-break basket. Minnesota Crookston knotted the game back up at 20-20 following an old-fashioned three-point play from Fox with 5:17 left in the quarter. Wayne State took the advantage back 22-20, but Fox came right back with another old-fashioned three-point play to give Minnesota Crookston the 23-22 lead. The two teams went back-and-forth for the next several minutes with the Golden Eagles taking a 30-28 advantage on a Miller floater as time expired in the second stanza.

Minnesota Crookston opened the third quarter with a 4-0 run as a Miller floater gave the Golden Eagles the 34-28 advantage. Wayne State responded with a 5-0 run of their own as a Logan Hughes triple brought the Wildcats within 34-33. The Golden Eagles countered with a 10-0 run propelled by five points from Miller. Brigid Boyle stopped the run as she trimmed the Wayne State deficit to 44-35. Wayne State made it a 6-0 run as the Wildcats pulled within 44-39 with under three minutes left in the third frame. The Golden Eagles halted the run with a pair of Fox free throws as they extended their lead to 46-39 with 1:57 left in the third quarter. Minnesota Crookston made it an 8-0 run with triples from Miller and Abigail Leach (R-Jr., G/F, Wyoming, Minn.) as the Golden Eagles took the 52-39 lead. Pingel closed out the third quarter with a pair of triples for the Wildcats as they pulled within 52-45 at the quarter break.

The Golden Eagles opened the final quarter with five-consecutive points from Miller, as they extended their advantage to 57-45 with 8:04 left in the game. The Wildcats used a 4-0 run to close within 57-49 with over six minutes remaining in the tilt. The Golden Eagles responded with a crucial old-fashioned three-point play from Hernandez to make it 60-49 with 5:40 to go on the clock. Wayne State used defensive pressure to make a run late and cause havoc. The Wildcats used free throws to pull within one point (66-65) with 2:17 left in the contest. Wayne State took the 68-66 lead after a Zacharias three-pointer with just under two minutes remaining in the tilt. Page knotted the game up with a pair of free throws to make it 68-68 with 1:45 left in Saturday's tilt. Wayne State took the lead back 70-68, but Page responded with a trey to give the Golden Eagles a 71-70 lead. The Wildcats got a steal on the defensive end, but Page took a key charge in the lane as Wayne State turned the ball over. Wayne State then fouled Page, who hit a pair at the stripe to give the Golden Eagles a 73-70 lead with 25 seconds left. Zacharias missed a triple for the Wildcats and Fox got the rebound. Wayne State fouled Fox, who made it a two-possession game by hitting 1-of-2 from the line to give the Golden Eagles a 74-70 lead. Pingel hit a jumper late, but it wouldn't be enough as Minnesota Crookston won 74-72 over the Wildcats.  

Minnesota Crookston returns home to face the University of Sioux Falls Friday, January 27 at 7:30 p.m. at Gary Senske Court at Lysaker Gymnasium in Crookston, Minn.