CROOKSTON, Minn. - The University of Minnesota Crookston women's basketball team showed improvement Sunday, November 30 against #18 Northern Michigan University but fell 78-63. In similar fashion to Saturday's game with the Wildcats, the third quarter guided Northern Michigan to victory. The Wildcats shot an impressive 12-of-20 for 60.0 percent in the third stanza, outscoring Minnesota Crookston 29-16. The Golden Eagles were down at the half by just one (32-31).
The Golden Eagles dropped to 1-5 (0-1 NSIC) with Sunday's loss against the Wildcats. Minnesota Crookston lost the weekend series to Northern Michigan 0-2. The Wildcats are 8-0 all-time against Minnesota Crookston. The Golden Eagles had a two-point loss to Northern Michigan in 2021, and a three-point loss in 2016. Those were the closest games in the series history.
Minnesota Crookston was guided by Riley Jenkins (R-Jr., G/F, Galesburg, Ill.) with 17 points on 5-of-8 from the field, and 4-of-5 from beyond the arc. Jenkins notched a season high with her 17 points. Rayna Klejeski (Jr., F, Barnum, Minn.) added 14 points. Hope Dudycha (R-Jr., G, Austin, Minn.) finished with 13 points on 5-of-9 from the field, and 3-of-6 from distance. Emma Miller (Sr., G, Albertville, Minn.) chipped in 13 points and six assists. Halle Winjum (So., G, Crookston, Minn.) came off the bench for three points and five boards.
The Golden Eagles shot 21-of-54 for 38.9 percent. They went 11-of-22 for 50.0 percent from distance. The Golden Eagles were 10-of-16 for 62.5 percent. Northern Michigan outrebounded the Golden Eagles 44-23. Minnesota Crookston finished with 14 turnovers.
Minnesota Crookston slowed down Jacy Weisbrod, an All-Region pick in 2024-25 who scored 29 points on Saturday. Weisbrod finished with seven points on 3-of-6 from the field. She added eight boards. Addison Pytleski paced the Wildcats with 15 points on 5-of-8 from the field. Sarah Newcomer chipped in 13 points, while Alyssa Hill had 10 points and seven boards. C.J. Romero guided the offense with six assists. Madison Schroeder came off the bench for 12 points.
Northern Michigan shot 31-of-63 for 49.2 percent in the game. They went 19-of-33 for 57.6 percent in the second half. The Wildcats were 7-of-21 for 33.3 percent from deep, and 9-of-10 from the stripe. They finished with 11 turnovers.
Minnesota Crookston took an 8-6 lead with seven minutes remaining in the first as Dudycha drained a trey off a Miller assist. Northern Michigan went on a 10-4 run to go ahead 16-12 on a Schroeder bucket. Minnesota Crookston countered with a 5-0 run to take a 17-16 lead into the quarter intermission following a Jenkins jumper.
The Golden Eagles pushed their advantage to 19-16 on a Miller jumper early in the second stanza. Northern Michigan knotted the tilt 22-22 after a pair of free throws from Whitehouse. Minnesota Crookston came back with a 4-0 run as a Miller jumper made it 26-22. The Wildcats went on a 10-2 run using a Pytleski trey to make it 32-28. Minnesota Crookston closed out the quarter with a Winjum three-pointer to cut it to 32-31.
Northern Michigan used their same recipe from a day before, as they went on a 17-2 run using a Reide Osterman bucket to make it 49-33 with 5:22 left in the third frame. Minnesota Crookston fought back with an 8-0 run as a Miller triple cut the deficit to eight points. However, back-to-back turnovers on the baseline led to treys for Northern Michigan to quickly extend the lead to 57-41. The Wildcats led 61-47 at the quarter sojourn.
Minnesota Crookston took the deficit to 12 points with 8:14 remaining in the game off a Klejeski triple. However, Northern Michigan would hold steady as they took the win 78-63.
The Golden Eagles will hit the road to face the University of Minnesota Duluth Wednesday, December 3 at 7:30 p.m., in Duluth, Minn.
