DULUTH, Minn. - The University of Minnesota Crookston fell 76-54 to the University of Minnesota Duluth Wednesday, December 3 at Romano Gymnasium in Duluth. The Bulldogs controlled the glass 46-28 including 18 offensive boards.
Minnesota Crookston dropped to 1-6 (0-2 NSIC) with Wednesday's loss. Minnesota Duluth improved to 4-2 (2-0 NSIC) with the victory.
The Golden Eagles looked to Emma Miller (Sr., G, Albertville, Minn.) with 16 points on 6-of-20 from the field. Rayna Klejeski (Jr., F, Barnum, Minn.) notched her third double-digit scoring outing with 15 points on 7-of-9 from the field. Anna Westby (Fr., F, Eveleth, Minn.) added 11 points, seven boards, and four blocks. Riley Jenkins (R-Jr., G/F, Galesburg, Ill.) had seven boards, and six assists.
The U of M Crookston went 23-of-57 for 40.4 percent. The Golden Eagles shot 6-of-18 for 33.3 percent from distance, and 2-of-4 from the stripe. Minnesota Crookston finished with 16 turnovers.
Minnesota Duluth was led by a pair of 20-point scorers. Claire Bjorge scored 25 points on 10-of-15 from the field. She notched six boards. Myra Moorjani had 22 points on 9-of-18 from the field. Ashley Fritz had seven points and seven boards, while Karly Jusczak finished with six points and eight boards.
The Bulldogs went 32-of-71 for 45.1 percent. They shot 6-of-22 for 27.3 percent from deep, and 6-of-8 for 75.0 percent from the line.
Minnesota Crookston took an early 5-2 advantage on a Klejeski trey. A Moorjani three-pointer tied the game 5-5. Miller secured back-to-back buckets to push the advantage to 9-5. Moorjani and Fritz knocked down back-to-back three-pointers to give UMD a 11-9 lead. A Bjorge basket made it 13-9. Minnesota Crookston pulled within 15-14 on a Westby triple. The Bulldogs led the tilt 22-14 on a Moorjani basket.
Bjorge widened the gap to 26-14 early in the second stanza. Minnesota Crookston countered and pulled within 28-22 on a Klejeski basket with 7:20 remaining in the second quarter. Minnesota Duluth came back with a 6-0 run as a Bjorge bucket put the Bulldogs ahead 34-22 with 3:16 remaining in the second stanza. The Golden Eagles closed the second quarter as Miller drained a long last-second triple to cut the deficit to 38-27 heading into the locker room.
Minnesota Crookston came out of the locker room on a mission, as they went on an 11-4 run to pull within four points (42-38) on a Klejeski bucket. Minnesota Duluth came back with a 12-0 run as a Karly Jusczak basket pushed the advantage to 54-38. The Golden Eagles went on a 5-0 rally as a Natalie Mikrot (Sr., G, Willow River, Minn.) triple trimmed the deficit to 54-43. A Moorjani jumper closed the third frame to give UMD a 56-43 lead.
The Golden Eagles began the fourth with five-straight points from Miller to pull within 56-48. An 11-0 run ending with a Maria Counts bucket gave the Bulldogs a 67-48 lead. The Golden Eagles cut it to 71-54 on an Emma Pierson (Fr., G, Cherry Valley, Ill.) score. Minnesota Duluth came away with the 76-54 win.
