Women's Basketball | 2/15/2025 8:55:00 PM
Box Score MARSHALL, Minn. - Southwest Minnesota State University used a second half run to hold off the University of Minnesota Crookston, as the No. 17 Mustangs earned an 88-74 win. The Golden Eagles led 43-41 at the break, but Southwest Minnesota State outscored the U of M Crookston 47-31 in the second half.
Minnesota Crookston dropped to 9-17 (7-13 NSIC) with Saturday's loss. The Mustangs improved to 25-2 (19-2 NSIC) and remain tied with Concordia-St. Paul, as they battle for the NSIC regular-season title. The Golden Eagles are currently tied for 11th place in the NSIC standings.
The Golden Eagles were highlighted by record-breaking performances. Emma Miller (Jr., G, Albertville, Minn.) broke her single-game scoring record with 41 points on 15-of-26 from the field, and 6-of-10 from beyond the arc. She previously held the mark with 37 points against Bemidji State December 17, 2022. Miller also broke the school's single-season scoring record, previously held by Jessica Forsline. She also moved to No. 3 all-time in career scoring at Minnesota Crookston, surpassing Katrina (Moenkedick) Nordick. She has 1,592 career points, needing 51 points to surpass Karna Plaine for second. In addition, Miller moved to No. 10 on the all-time NSIC career scoring charts, surpassing Odor, and Alex Feenery of Augustana. Miller set the R/A Facility scoring record for women's basketball with 41 points. She was just four points shy of the NSIC scoring mark set by Cassie Askvig of UMary during the 2019-20 season.
In addition, Nicole Hernandez (R-Sr., F/C, Oak Creek, Wis.) set the career blocks mark, surpassing Odor. Hernandez has 159 career blocked shots. She had four blocks, to go with nine points, and five boards.
Willow Thiel (Fr., F, Perham, Minn.) notched 13 points on 4-of-10 from the field, and 2-of-4 from beyond the arc. Thiel added four boards, and three assists.
Minnesota Crookston shot 27-of-59 from the field for 45.8 percent. They were 8-of-22 for 36.4 percent from beyond the arc. The Golden Eagles were 12-of-15 from the stripe. They were outrebounded 45-27, including allowing 20 offensive boards. Minnesota Crookston had 13 assists, and 10 turnovers.
Southwest Minnesota State shot 37-of-76 for 48.7 percent. They went 10-of-33 for 30.3 percent from behind the three-point line. The Mustangs were 4-of-6 from the stripe. They had 21 assists, and just seven turnovers. Southwest Minnesota State were paced by Bri Stoltzmann with 23 points, six boards, and eight assists. Audrey Swanson notched 19 points, and 15 rebounds. Natalie Nielsen finished with 16 points, and nine boards, while Peyton Blandin had 14.
The Golden Eagles raced out to a 16-6 lead after a Miller triple. Minnesota Crookston extended their lead to 22-7 with a Miller jumper with 2:08 remaining in the first frame. The Mustangs pulled within 24-14 with a Nicole Maenke basket. The Golden Eagles went into the quarter intermission with a 27-17 advantage.
Minnesota Crookston extended their lead to 29-17 with Miller's 17th point of the game. The Mustangs trimmed the deficit to 29-20 after a Swanson lay-in. Minnesota Crookston countered with a trey from Miller to push the lead to 32-20. The Mustangs came back with an 11-1 run, as a Blandin triple brought Southwest Minnesota State within 33-31 with 4:32 left in the second quarter. The Mustangs took their run to 13-1 with a Brynn Busse put-back to knot the game 33-33. Miller responded with her fourth triple of the game to give Minnesota Crookston a 36-33 lead. The Golden Eagles pushed the lead to five with a Miller bucket. The Mustangs responded and tied the game 38-38 with a Blandin triple. The Golden Eagles took the advantage back 40-38 on a Rayna Klejeski (So., F, Barnum, Minn.) bucket. Southwest Minnesota State took a 41-40 lead with a Bladin trey. The Golden Eagles took the lead back heading into the locker room as Miller sank three free throws to give Minnesota Crookston a 43-41 advantage.
Southwest Minnesota State tied the tilt 43-43 with a Swanson bucket. The U of M Crookston went ahead 46-43 with a Miller bucket. The Mustangs countered with a 7-0 run to take a 50-46 with a Swanson triple. The Golden Eagles countered with a 4-0 run of their own, as Miller scored her 32nd point of the game to tie the tilt 50-50. The Golden Eagles widened their rally to 7-0 with a Willow Thiel triple to go ahead 53-50. Southwest Minnesota State took the lead back 61-60 on a Stoltzmann jumper. The Mustangs continued an 11-0 run, as a Natalie Nielsen basket made it 67-60 going into the fourth quarter.
The Mustangs opened the fourth frame with back-to-back Stoltzmann baskets to extend their lead to 71-60. Minnesota Crookston pulled within 71-63 as Miller completed an old-fashioned three-point play. Stoltzmann responded with an old-fashioned three-point play of her own to widen the gap to 74-63. Miller used another triple to cut the deficit to 74-66 with 7:21 left in the tilt. Southwest Minnesota State pushed their advantage to 77-68 with a Kenzie Jones triple. The Mustangs held on for an 88-74 victory.
Minnesota Crookston has an important set of home tilts next weekend as they look to secure a spot in the NSIC Tournament. The Golden Eagles host the University of Minnesota Duluth Friday, February 21 at 7:30 p.m.
