RAPID CITY, S.D. - The University of Minnesota Crookston women's basketball team picked up a dominant 74-55 road win over South Dakota School of Mines Friday, November 22 at the King Center in Rapid City, S.D.

The Golden Eagles improved to 2-4 with Friday's win, while South Dakota Mines dropped to 0-5. Minnesota Crookston wrapped up their non-conference slate in the Black Hills of South Dakota. 

The Golden Eagles got great production from their starters as they accounted for 72-of-74 points Friday. Emma Miller (Jr., G, Albertville, Minn.) scored 19 points on 8-of-17 from the field Miller finished with a double-double of 10 points, and added three assists. Miller is eighth all-time in scoring for the Golden Eagles. She needs 68 points to surpass Brittani Weise for seventh all-time.

Hope Dudycha (R-So., G, Austin, Minn.) chipped in 16 points on 7-of-11 from the field, and 2-of-5 from distance. Dudycha accounted for 13 in the second half. Willow Thiel (Fr., F, Perham, Minn.) notched 16 points, and nine boards. Riley Jenkins (R-So., G/F, Galesburg, Ill.) finished with 16 points, and seven boards, and four assists. Nicole Hernandez (R-Sr., F/C, Oak Creek, Wis.) added five points, eight rebounds, and a block. Hernandez is the national leader in blocks with 20 this season. 

The Golden Eagles shot 26-of-62 from the field for 41.9 percent. Minnesota Crookston went 5-of-20 for 25.0 percent from beyond the arc, and 17-of-20 for 85.0 percent from the foul stripe. The Golden Eagles outrebounded South Dakota Mines 45-35. Minnesota Crookston had 10 assists, and 14 turnovers. The Hardrockers notched 10 assists, to 11 turnovers.

South Dakota Mines shot 19-of-66 for 28.8 percent from the field, and went 5-of-23 for 21.0 percent from distance. The Hardrockers were paced by Paper Bauer with 14 points. Lauren Herman came off the bench with 11. 

The Golden Eagles opened the game on a 9-2 run, as a pair of Jenkins  free throws gave Minnesota Crookston the advantage. The Golden Eagles pushed the lead to 13-4 with a pair of Thiel free throws. South Dakota Mines trimmed the deficit to 13-7 with a trey from Herman. A Miller basket with four minutes remaining in the first quarter pushed the Minnesota Crookston lead to 17-7. The Hardrockers cut the Golden Eagle lead to 19-14 on a Savea Mansfield free throw. Minnesota Crookston went into the quarter break with a 21-17 lead.

The Golden Eagles opened the second stanza with a Dudycha triple to widen the gap to 24-17. A Jenkins jumper made the lead 26-19. Neither team scored for over four minutes until a Jenkins lay-in made it 28-19 with 2:45 remaining in the stanza. Minnesota Crookston made it a 12-0 rally, as a Thiel free throw pushed the gap to 36-19 with 18 seconds remaining. South Dakota Mines snapped over an eight minute scoreless spell with four seconds left in the quarter, as Bauer sank a triple to pull the Hardrockers within 36-22 going into the locker room.

The Hardrockers began the third quarter on a 7-2 run, pulling within 38-29 with a Bauer triple. Minnesota Crookston combatted the run with back-to-back buckets from Miller, and Dudycha to extend the lead to 42-29 with 6:19 left in the third frame. The Golden Eagles extended their advantage to 49-32 with a Dudycha jumper. Dudycha made it eight points in the third quarter as she sank a basket to widen the gap to 51-32. A pair of Herman free throws made it 4-0 run for South Dakota Mines, as they cut the deficit to 51-36 with 2:45 left in the quarter. Miller countered with a trey to push the lead to 54-36. The Hardrockers used a 5-0 run to pull within 54-41 on a Bauer triple. Minnesota Crookston ended the frame with a Miller triple in the final seconds to give the Golden Eagles a 57-41 lead at the quarter intermission.

Emily Thomas utilized an old-fashioned three-point play to cut the deficit to 57-44 with 9:30 remaining in the game. Dudycha continued her big second half with a triple to push the Minnesota Crookston lead to 60-44. A Jenkins old-fashioned three-point play widened the gap to 65-45 with 6:27 remaining in the tilt. The Golden Eagles made it 69-47 with a pair of Thiel free throws. South Dakota Mines used a 4-0 run, as an Alexis Backhaus bucket cut the Minnesota Crookston deficit to 69-51. A pair of Thiel free throws extended the Golden Eagle lead to 72-51 with 2:07 left in the game. Emme Munch (Fr., G/F, Boise, Idaho) hit a jumper in the final minute to help cement a 74-55 win.

The Golden Eagles begin NSIC play Tuesday, November 26 at 5:30 p.m., at Minot State University.