CROOKSTON, Minn. - St. Cloud State University scored the final four minutes in a game that came down to the wire Saturday, December 7 against the University of Minnesota Crookston. The Huskies defeated the Golden Eagles 82-76. The Golden Eagles were within two points of the Huskies with 25 seconds remaining after an Emma Miller (Jr., G, Albertville, Minn.) trey. However, St. Cloud State closed out the victory late.
Minnesota Crookston dropped to 4-5 (2-1 NSIC) with Saturday's loss in NSIC play. The Golden Eagles are off to their best start in conference play since the 2018-19 season. St. Cloud State improved to 5-2 (2-0 NSIC) with the victory at Gary Senske Court at Lysaker Gymnasium.
The Golden Eagles ultimately struggled with turnovers Saturday afternoon, with 10 assists, to 19 turnovers. A key note was also the third quarter, as the Huskies outscored the Golden Eagles 27-12.
Minnesota Crookston was propelled by Emma Miller (Jr., G, Albertville, Minn.), who scored 27 points, and added six rebounds, and three assists. Miller went 10-of-21 from the field, and 4-of-8 from beyond the arc. Miller moved up to No. 7 all-time, surpassing Brittani Wiese. She now has 1,211 career points. Miller needs 33 points to surpass Kari Score for No. 6 all-time in scoring.
Riley Jenkins (R-So., G/F, Galesburg, Ill.) wrapped up a strong weekend with 17 points, five boards, three assists, two blocks, and two steals. In two games this weekend, she averaged 17.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.5 blocks, and 3.5 steals per game.
Hope Dudycha (R-So., G, Austin, Minn.) added 12 points, on 4-of-7 from beyond the arc. Nicole Hernandez (R-Sr., F/C, Oak Creek, Wis.) finished with six points, four rebounds, and three blocked shots. Hernandez is averaging 3.22 blocks per game, which is among the national leaders. Taryn Frazer (Jr., G, Cass Lake, Minn.) came off the bench for eight points, while Rayna Klejeski (So., F, Barnum, Minn.) added five points, and four boards.
The Golden Eagles shot 26-of-51 for 51.0 percent Saturday. They changed their fortunes from Friday beyond the arc, and went 13-of-25 for 52.0 percent from deep. Minnesota Crookston was 11-of-16 from the charity stripe.
St. Cloud State had four players with double-figure scoring. Abigail O'Reilly led the way with 19 points. Jada Eggebrecht finished with 12 points. Paige Lambe finished with 14 points, and eight boards. Rachel Kottke had 10 points.
The Huskies shot 32-of-61 for 52.5 percent from the field. They were 6-of-16 for 37.5 percent from beyond the arc, and 12-of-18 for 66.7 percent from the foul line. The Huskies had 17 assists, to 15 turnovers. They outrebounded the Golden Eagles 32-26, including 10 offensive boards. St. Cloud State had 42 points in the paint Saturday.
The Huskies opened the game with an 8-3 lead after an old-fashioned three-point play from O'Reilly. The Golden Eagles cut the deficit to 10-8 on a Jenkins bucket with 6:24 left in the first quarter. A Lambe bucket pushed the St. Cloud State lead out to 12-8, but U of M Crookston countered with a Jenkins three to pull within 12-11. The Golden Eagles took the advantage 13-12 on a pair of Frazer free throws. Back-to-back buckets for the Huskies made it 16-13 with 2:52 remaining in the stanza. Frazer hit the equalizer from beyond the arc to make it 16-16. The Huskies pulled ahead going into the quarter break following a Reagan Briggs lay-in.
A Rachel Kottke trey extended the St. Cloud State advantage to 23-19 to open the second frame. Minnesota Crookston mounted a 6-0 run, as a Jenkins free throw gave the Golden Eagles a 25-23 lead. O'Reilly knotted the score 25-25. However, Minnesota Crookston came back with a 8-0 run to push the lead to 33-25 with 5:16 remaining in the stanza. Lambe brought the deficit down to six with 3:11 remaining in the second quarter. Dudycha countered with a triple to push the lead out to nine points with 2:52 left in the stanza. The Huskies ended the second quarter on a 7-0 run, with all seven points claimed by Lambe. Minnesota Crookston led at the break 38-36.
St. Cloud State built on their momentum to end the half as they commenced the third quarter. The Huskies went on a 10-0 run to flip the script and give St. Cloud State a 46-38 lead with an Eggebrecht trey. Minnesota Crookston got the lead down to five on a Jenkins basket with 5:16 remaining in the third. St. Cloud State went into the quarter break with a 13-point advantage. During the 12:52 stint from the end of the second stanza to end of the third quarter, Minnesota Crookston was outscored 34-12.
A Briggs bucket early in the fourth quarter gave the Huskies a 17-point lead edge with 9:10 remaining in the game. Minnesota Crookston chipped away at the advantage and trimmed the deficit to 69-62 with a Hernandez basket with 6:35 left in the tilt. A Lambe free throw gave St. Cloud State a 75-66 edge with 3:52 remaining. A 7-0 run ending with a Miller hoop brought the Golden Eagles within two with 1:06 remaining. Eggebrecht countered with a trey to make it 78-73. Miller had the answer on the other end to trim the deficit to 78-76 with 25 seconds left. The Huskies iced the game with free throws from Eggebrecht, and O'Reilly to win 82-76.
Minnesota Crookston remains at home, hosting University of Mary at 2 p.m., Saturday, December 14.
