CROOKSTON, Minn. - The #18 Northern Michigan University Wildcats used a 21-5 third-quarter run to defeat the University of Minnesota Crookston 89-57 Saturday, November 29 at Lysaker Gymnasium. The Golden Eagles were unable to find a field goal in the third quarter for 7:45 as the Wildcats went on the run.
Minnesota Crookston dropped to 1-4 (0-1 NSIC) with Saturday's loss. The nationally-ranked Wildcats improved to 7-1 with the victory. Northern Michigan is 7-0 all-time against the Golden Eagles.
The Golden Eagles were led by Emma Miller (Sr., G, Albertville, Minn.), the program's all-time leading scorer, who notched 16 points on 7-of-17 from the field. She finished with a double-double, adding 10 boards. Riley Jenkins (R-Jr., G/F, Galesburg, Ill.) added 12 points and six boards. Rayna Klejeski (Jr., F, Barnum, Minn.) added seven points. Anna Westby (Fr., F, Eveleth, Minn.) finished with five points and five rebounds. Halle Winjum (So., G, Crookston, Minn.) came off the bench for six points.
Minnesota Crookston shot 20-of-61 for 32.8 percent from the field. They struggled from distance, hitting 4-of-25 for 16.0 percent. At the line, the Golden Eagles went 13-of-15 for 86.7 percent. The Golden Eagles shot 14-of-34 in the first half for 41.2 percent. The difference was in the second half, where they finished 6-of-27 for 22.2 percent. Minnesota Crookston was edged on the glass 44-38. They finished with 17 turnovers.
Northern Michigan shot 34-of-70 from the field for 48.6 percent. They went 8-of-22 for 36.4 percent from deep, and 13-of-17 for 76.5 percent from the charity stripe. Jacy Weisbrod put in 29 points on 11-of-21 from the field, and 7-of-13 from beyond the arc. Faith Walder chipped in 13 points off the bench. Madison Schroeder finished with 11, while Sydney Whithouse had 11 points and six boards. Jordyn Schmittdiel added eight points and seven rebounds. The Wildcats had 52 bench points in the win.
The Golden Eagles held an 11-7 lead in the first quarter after a pair of Klejeski free throws. They continued to have the advantage in the first quarter 16-12 following a Miller jumper. The Wildcats closed the first frame with a Walder bucket to pull within 16-14.
Northern Michigan commenced the second quarter on a 6-0 run, taking a 22-17 advantage on a Whitehouse bucket. Minnesota Crookston was within 26-23 on a Miller lay-in with 6:47 remaining in the half. The Wildcats pushed the lead to 33-25 on a Weisbrod jumper. The Golden Eagles closed the deficit to three points on a pair of Jenkins free throws with 4:33 left in the quarter. Northern Michigan closed out the first half with a nine-point lead (48-39) on a Weisbrod trey, but the Golden Eagles were continuing to stay with the Wildcats.
The Wildcats held all the momentum in the third quarter as Minnesota Crookston was unable to buy a basket. Northern Michigan opened the stanza on a 15-0 run, using a Schmittdiel putback to extend their advantage to 63-39. Minnesota Crookston halted the run with a Natalie Mikrot (Sr., G, Willow River, Minn.) triple to cut the deficit to 63-42. Northern Michigan held a 25-point advantage going into the final frame.
The Wildcats used their momentum from the third quarter to pick up the 89-57 win.
The Golden Eagles will host the #18 Wildcats for a second game in the series Sunday, November 30 at 12 p.m., at Gary Senske Court at Lysaker Gymnasium.
