ST. PAUL, Minn. - The University of Minnesota Crookston women's basketball team put together a fourth quarter comeback, but it fell short in a 82-65 loss to Concordia University-St. Paul. The Golden Eagles outscored the Golden Bears 28-16 in the final stanza to make up a sizable deficit but were unable to overcome Concordia-St. Paul in the loss.

Minnesota Crookston fell to 9-11 (6-8 NSIC) with Saturday's loss. Concordia-St. Paul improved to 14-5 (10-4 NSIC) with the victory. 

Minnesota Crookston was led by Emma Miller (So., G, Albertville, Minn.) with 29 points on 11-of-21 from the field. Janie Tormanen (So., F/C, Menahga, Minn.) chipped in 10 points and five rebounds. Natalie Mikrot (So., G, Willow River, Minn.) came off the bench for nine points. Nicole Hernandez (R-Jr., F/C, Oak Creek, Wis.) led the Golden Eagles on the glass with seven boards. 

The Golden Eagles shot 24-of-69 for 34.8 percent from the field. They were 7-of-20 for 35.0 percent from distance, and 10-of-13 for 76.9 percent from the stripe. Minnesota Crookston was outrebounded by Concordia-St. Paul 52-42, including allowing 17 offensive boards. 

Concordia-St. Paul was propelled by 31 points from Lauren Wilson on 11-of-18 from the field. Leah Dengerud added 17 points. Mikayla Kanenwisher chipped in 10 points and six assists, while Lindsey Becher had nine points and eight rebounds. 

The Golden Bears shot 29-of-72 from the field for 40.3 percent. Concordia-St. Paul went 8-of-27 for 29.6 percent from beyond the arc, and 16-of-24 for 66.7 percent from the foul line.

The Golden Bears jumped out to a 7-0 lead after a Dengerud trey. Minnesota Crookston broke their scoreless streak with 5:13 remaining in the quarter with a bucket from Klejeski. Concordia-St. Paul countered with a 6-0 run, using a Lauren Wilson trey to widen the gap to 13-2 with 4:03 left in the stanza. Minnesota Crookston went on a 7-2 run led by a Jenkins jumper to cut the deficit to 15-9. The Golden Bears ended the quarter with a Dengerud trey to push their advantage to 20-9 going into the quarter break.

Minnesota Crookston pulled within 24-16 on a Miller jumper with 7:21 remaining in the second quarter. The Golden Bears were able to widen the gap to 31-20 on a Dengerud triple with 4:11 left in the frame. Concordia-St. Paul took their lead to 14 on a Wilson three-pointer in their nexpossession. Minnesota Crookston used a pair of Miller free throws to pull within 41-26 going into the locker room.

The Golden Bears opened the third quarter on a 7-1 run, pushing their advantage to 48-27 o na Becher bucket. They widened their lead to 25 points as Lauren Feddema found Emma Mommsen for a bucket with 4:04 left in the quarter. Concordia-St. Paul went into the quarter intermission with a 66-37 lead following a Wilson triple. 

Minnesota Crookston opened the fourth quarter on a 9-0 run propelled by four points from Miller, and an Ainsley McLain trey. The Golden Bears scored their first points of the stanza on a Becher basket with 6:44 remaining. The Golden Eagles countered with an 8-0 run as a Miller bucket cut the Golden Bear lead to 68-53 with 5:20 remaining in the game. The Golden Bears countered with a pair of Wilson baskets to extend their lead to 72-53 with 4:20 remaining in the tilt. The Golden Eagles responded with a 5-0 run ignited by Miller to cut the deficit to 72-58 with 3:31 remaining in the game. Concordia-St. Paul extended their lead to 76-60 on a pair of Feddema free throws. Minnesota Crookston came back with a Mikrot triple to get the deficit down to 13 with 2:52 left in the game. The Golden Eagles fouled down the stretch, but Concordia-St. Paul was able to stave off the comeback in a 79-63 win. 

Minnesota Crookston takes on Minnesota State University Moorhead on the road Tuesday, January 30 at 5:30 p.m.