CROOKSTON, Minn. - The University of Minnesota Crookston picked up an important NSIC victory at home Friday, January 24 over Wayne State College as they defeated the Wildcats 70-67 in a nailbiter at Lysaker Gymnasium. Free throws in the final minute from Emma Miller (Jr., G, Albertville, Minn.), and Nicole Hernandez (R-Sr., F/C, Oak Creek, Wis.) iced the win for the Golden Eagles.
Minnesota Crookston improved to 7-12 (5-8 NSIC) with Friday's victory. The Golden Eagles improved to 2-4 in the friendly confines of Lysaker Gymnasium with the win. Minnesota Crookston is tied for 10th in the standings with the University of Minnesota Duluth. Wayne State dropped to 9-8 (6-7 NSIC) with Friday's loss. The Golden Eagles have won four of the last five against the Wildcats.
Minnesota Crookston was lifted by Miller with 24 points on 9-of-21 from the field, and 3-of-7 from beyond the arc. She has 1,415 career points, ranking sixth in school history. She needs 45 points to surpass Alexa Thielman for fifth all-time. Riley Jenkins (R-So., G/F, Galesburg, Ill.) added a double-double of 10 points, and 12 assists. Hernandez finished with 18 points, 16 in the second half, along with eight boards, and three blocks. She needs 18 blocked shots to surpass the school record, previously set by Isieoma Odor.
Hope Dudycha (R-So., G, Austin, Minn.) chipped in seven points, and five assists. Rayna Klejeski (So., F, Barnum, Minn.) had three assists.
The Golden Eagles shot 27-of-65 for 41.5 percent from the field. They were 5-of-17 for 29.4 percent from beyond the arc, and 11-of-13 for 84.6 percent from the stripe. Minnesota Crookston notched 13 assists, and just nine turnovers. They were outrebounded 40-39.
Wayne State were guided by 17 points from Maya Fitzpatrick. Kylah vanDonkersgoed finished with 16 points, while Delaney Clark came off the bench for 17 points.
The Wildcats shot 23-of-62 for 37.1 percent from the field. They went 7-of-19 for 36.8 percent from distance, and 14-of-16 for 87.5 percent from the line.
The two teams played it close early as Minnesota Crookston led just 8-7 after a pair of Hernandez free throws with 4:08 left in the first stanza. A Clark trey for Wayne State gave the Wildcats a 10-8 advantage. The U of M Crookston countered with a 6-0 run, propelled by four points from Jenkins. A Miller free throw gave the Golden Eagles a 15-12 lead heading into the quarter pause.
A basket from Miller, and a trey from Halle Winjum (Fr., Crookston, Minn.) put Minnesota Crookston up 20-15 with 9:11 remaining in the second frame. The Wildcats countered with a 7-0 run, as a Clark trey put Wayne State ahead 22-20. Minnesota Crookston responded in a big way with a 12-0 run, as a pair of Klejeski free throws pushed the lead to 32-22. Wayne State closed the quarter on a 5-0 run, going into the locker room trailing 36-31.
The Golden Eagles held a 44-35 lead early in the third after back-to-back instances where Dudycha found Hernandez in the post for a pair. The Wildcats diminished the lead down to 49-45 with a Clark triple with 3:39 remaining in the stanza. Wayne State took the advantage 53-51 on a Fitzpatrick basket with 59 seconds left in the quarter. Minnesota Crookston knotted the game 53-53 with a Hernandez putback as time expired in the period.
Wayne State started the fourth on a 4-0 run, as a Tate Norblade bucket made it 57-53. Minnesota Crookston used a 6-0 run, ending in Dudycha finding Hernandez for two, making it 61-60. The Wildcats took the lead back 62-61 on a basket from vanDonkersgoed. The two teams sat tied 66-66 after a Clark jumper with 1:16 remaining. A foul on a three-point attempt for Miller gave her three shots, where she sank 2-of-3 to put the Golden Eagles ahead 68-66. Norblade went 1-of-2 from the line with seven seconds remaining, and Hernandez iced the win with a pair at the line to give Minnesota Crookston the 70-67 win.
Minnesota Crookston hosts Augustana University at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, January 25 at Lysaker Gymnasium.
