CROOKSTON, Minn. - The University of Minnesota Crookston women's basketball team picked up a dominant win over Augustana University 93-70 Saturday, January 17 at Gary Senske Court at Lysaker Gymnasium. The Golden Eagles hit 17 three-pointers in the win over the Vikings.
The Golden Eagles improved to 4-13 (3-8 NSIC) with Saturday's victory. Augustana dropped to 6-12 (3-9 NSIC) with the loss. Minnesota Crookston snapped an eight-game losing streak to the Vikings, earning their first win over Augustana since December 12, 2015 in Crookston. The win is their largest margin of victory over the Vikings in program history, surpassing 21 points in 2015.
Minnesota Crookston was highlighted by a career night from Natalie Mikrot (Sr., G, Willow River, Minn.), who scored 22 points on 7-of-11 from the field, and 6-of-9 from beyond the arc. Mikrot surpassed her previous career-high 14 points in 2023. Mikrot's six threes in a game is the most since Emma Miller (Sr., G, Albertville, Minn.) made eight against Augustana January 25, 2025.Â
Miller finished with 24 points on 7-of-16 from the field, and 4-of-11 from beyond the arc. Her 24 points moved her past 2,000 points in a career. She is the first Golden Eagle to score over 2,000 points in her career. Miller is just two points away from surpassing Anna Schmitt of Concordia-St. Paul for second all-time in NSIC history. She has 1,482 conference points. Miller needs 134 points to surpass Brooke Olson of Minnesota Duluth for the NSIC mark.
Rayna Klejeski (Jr., F, Barnum, Minn.) chipped in a double-double 17 points and 11 boards. Anna Westby (Fr., F, Eveleth, Minn.) finished with eight points, five boards, and four blocked shots. Halle Winjum (So., G, Crookston, Minn.) had a team-high six steals, falling one shy of the school-record mark of seven.
The Golden Eagles shot 29-of-59 for 49.2 percent. They were 17-of-35 for 48.6 percent from beyond the arc, and 18-of-20 for 90.0 percent from the line. Minnesota Crookston outrebounded Augustana 35-27. They had 18 assists to 25 turnovers Saturday.
The Vikings were held to 25-of-71 for 35.2 percent from the field. They shot 7-of-37 for 18.9 percent from distance, and were 13-of-17 for 76.5 percent from the line. They notched 13 assists to 22 turnovers.
Augustana was led by 12 points from Payton Hardy. Kristin Edmonds, Miranda Lomax, Greta Dillinger, and Mia Donald all added 10 points.Â
Minnesota Crookston raced to a 10-2 advantage propelled by six points from Miller. Augustana trimmed the deficit to 14-9 on a Pautz jumper with 2:42 left in the first quarter. Minnesota Crookston extended their lead to 21-14 on a Westby jumper off a Winjum assist with 1:02 left in the stanza. A Dillinger trey cut the Golden Eagle lead to 21-17 heading into the quarter break.
The Golden Eagles claimed the momentum back in their favor with three-consecutive Mikrot treys to widen the gap to 30-17. Augustana countered with a 9-0 run, as a Hardy basket cut the deficit to 30-26. Minnesota Crookston responded with an 11-0 run, using a Westby triple to extend the advantage to 41-26. A Lomax triple pulled the Vikings within 41-29, but Mikrot responded with a trey of her own to give Minnesota Crookston a 44-29 lead at the half.
The Vikings cut the Golden Eagle lead to 12 with a Maliyah Elliott free throw with 9:23 left in the third quarter. Minnesota Crookston pushed their lead to 17 with Miller free throws with 6:51 remaining in the third frame. The Golden Eagles extended their advantage to 23 on a Miller triple. Augie pulled within 18 heading into the quarter sojourn following a pair of Pautz free throws.
Minnesota Crookston utilized back-to-back triples from Mikrot and Miller to widen the gap to 26 points with 7:57 remaining in the tilt. Augustana was unable to overcome the Golden Eagles down the stretch, as Minnesota Crookston won 93-70.
