ABERDEEN, S.D. - The University of Minnesota Crookston women's basketball team fell 69-60 Friday, December 20 at Wachs Arena to Northern State University. The Wolves outscored the Golden Eagles 16-10 in the final quarter of the tilt. Minnesota Crookston had a strong third quarter as they bested Northern State 25-19, but were unable to pick up the win in Aberdeen, S.D.
The Golden Eagles dropped to 4-7 (2-3 NSIC) with Friday's loss, while Northern State improved to 6-5 (3-2 NSIC) with the victory. The Wolves have won the last two games in the series.
Minnesota Crookston was led by Riley Jenkins (R-So., G/F, Galesburg, Ill.), who had 15 points on 5-of-11 from the field, and 3-of-8 from beyond the arc. 13 of Jenkins' points came in the second half. Nicole Hernandez (R-Sr., F/C, Oak Creek, Wis.) added a double-double of 14 points and 13 boards, with three blocked shots. Halle Winjum (Fr., G, Crookston, Minn.) made her first career start and was strong both offensively and defensively. She had 10 points, and three steals. Emma Miller (Jr., G, Albertville, Minn.) added nine points.
The Golden Eagles were 22-of-66 from the field for 33.3 percent. They shot 8-of-25 for 32.0 percent from beyond the arc, and were 8-of-11 for 72.7 percent from the stripe. The U of M Crookston had 11 assists to 13 turnovers. They were edged on the glass 47-42. Minnesota Crookston had 13 offensive rebounds, while they gave up 16 to Northern State.
The Wolves looked to 14 points and five assists from Morgan Fielder. Rianna Fillipi added 13 points, nine rebounds, and seven helpers. Izzy Moore came off the bench for 14 points, while Michaela Jewett added 12 points, and nine boards.
Northern State shot 26-of-68 for 38.2 percent from the field, 6-of-20 from beyond the arc for 30.0 percent, and went 11-of-16 for 68.8 percent from the foul line.
The Golden Eagles took a 5-4 lead just before the six minute mark as Hernandez used the glass to give the U of M Crookston a lead. Winjum added to the lead with her second triple of the first quarter to give the Golden Eagles an 8-4 advantage. The Wolves knotted the game 8-8 with a Moore basket at the 4:40 mark. The Wolves extended their run to 12-0 on a Fillipi bucket to make it 16-8. Dudycha put in a basket at the end of the quarter to squash the run and make it 16-10 at the quarter intermission.
The Wolves pushed their lead to 20-12 on a fastbreak bucket from Decontee Smith. A post basket for Thiel cut the deficit to 20-16. However, Fiedler responded with a three on the opposite end to push the gap to 23-16 with 5:30 remaining in the second stanza. A pair of Smith free throws pushed the Northern State lead to 25-18 with 4:34 remaining in the quarter. A bucket from Thiel brought the score within five points for the Golden Eagles. Jewett hit a trey for the Wolves to widen the gap to 30-22. Hernandez had the answer on the opposite end to trim the deficit to 30-25 with just over a minute left in the stanza. A Fillipi old-fashioned three-point play pushed the lead back out to eight. Northern State went into the break with a 34-25 lead.
The Golden Eagles opened the third frame with a fastbreak bucket as Jenkins found Miller for a transition two. Minnesota Crookston extended their run to 4-0 as Jenkins layed it in to cut the deficit to 34-29 with just over eight minutes left in the third. Jenkins sank a pair of free throws to pull the Golden Eagles to within 34-31. The U of M Crookston pushed their run to 9-0 with a Miller triple. Jewett ended a nearly four-minute scoreless stint for Northern State, as she drained a trey to give the Wolves the lead back 37-34. A Moore basket extended the lead for the Wolves to 40-35. Jenkins brought Minnesota Crookston back within two as she sank a triple from the win with 4:30 left in the third stanza. Hernandez got her own rebound and tied the game 40-40 with a putback. A pair of Bragg free throws gave the Wolves a 43-40 advantage with 3:30 remaining in the third. The Golden Eagles pulled within one after a pair of Winjum free throws. After a defensive stop, Jenkins sank a triple to put Minnesota Crookston back ahead 47-45. Benike had the answer for Northern State, making it 48-47. The Golden Eagles knotted the tilt 50-50 with a Hernandez triple, but Fillipi banked in a trey as the buzzer sounded to give the Wolves a 53-50 lead at the quarter intermission.
Fiedler scored off the in-bounds to extend the Wolves lead to 55-50 early in the fourth quarter. Northern State continued their run early in the fourth as Fiedler's bucket made it 63-52. Bragg sank a bucket to extend the NSU advantage to 65-53. Minnesota Crookston trimmed the deficit to 65-58 with a Jenkins triple with under three minutes remaining in the tilt. Northern State hung on to pick up the 69-60 victory.
The Golden Eagles remain on the road to face Minnesota State University Moorhead Saturday, December 21 at 3:30 p.m.
