MARSHALL, Minn. - The University of Minnesota Crookston women's basketball team made a major fourth quarter comeback but came up short 76-66 to Southwest Minnesota State University Saturday, January 24 in Marshall, Minn. The Golden Eagles cut a 24-point deficit in the third quarter to a seven-point deficit with 1:24 remaining in the tilt, but were unable to come all the way back Saturday.

The Golden Eagles dropped to 5-15 (4-10 NSIC) with Saturday's loss. Minnesota Crookston is in seventh in the NSIC North and is tied with Augustana and Wayne State for 13th in the NSIC standings after this weekend. Southwest Minnesota State improved to 12-7 (10-4 NSIC) with the win. The Mustangs are in second in the NSIC South, and tied for third overall in the conference.

Minnesota Crookston had four players notch double-figure scoring performances Saturday. Emma Miller (Sr., G, Albertville, Minn.) notched 19 points on 8-of-16 from the field. She also added six boards. Miller is second all-time in conference scoring. She is 78 points from surpassing Brooke Olson of Minnesota Duluth's conference scoring mark. 

Rayna Klejeski (Jr., F, Barnum, Minn.) tallied 17 points and seven boards on 6-of-14 from the field. Anna Westby (Fr., F, Eveleth, Minn.) tallied 13 points from 5-of-13 from the field. Halle Winjum (So., G, Crookston, Minn.) added 11 points on 5-of-7 from the field.

The Golden Eagles went 26-of-67 from the field for 38.8 percent. Minnesota Crookston was 2-of-12 for 16.7 percent from beyond the arc, and 12-of-14 for 85.7 percent from the stripe. Minnesota Crookston notched 10 assists to five turnovers. The Golden Eagles scored 42 points in the paint.

The Mustangs were guided by 20 points from Aubrey Swanson on 7-of-17 from the field, and 2-of-6 from beyond the arc. She added six rebounds. Kylan Gerads tallied 16 points and six rebounds. Natalie Nielsen finished with a double-double of 14 points and 14 boards. She was 4-of-9 from the field. Nicole Maenke added 11 points on 4-of-9 from the field, and 3-of-7 from beyond the arc. Brynn Busse had eight points off the bench.

Southwest Minnesota State shot 24-of-50 from the field for 48.0 percent. The Mustangs went 10-of-23 from behind the three-point line for 43.5 percent. Southwest Minnesota State shot 18-of-21 for 85.7 percent from the line. The Mustangs had 15 assists and 20 turnovers. They outrebounded the Golden Eagles 42-27, including 14 offensive rebounds. The Golden Eagles also had 14 offensive boards.

The Mustangs opened the game on a 5-0 run. The Golden Eagles countered with a 10-3 run, as a Miller triple gave Minnesota Crookston a 10-8 advantage. The Golden Eagles led 12-10 after a Klejeski bucket. Southwest Minnesota State countered with a 12-0 run to end the first quarter with a Swanson basket to make it 22-12. 

The Mustangs pushed their run to 18-0 with a Nielsen tip-in to extend their lead to 28-12. A Miller jumper halted the rally to pull the Golden Eagles within 28-14. Minnesota Crookston trimmed the deficit to 30-18 with a Riley Jenkins (R-Jr., G/F, Galesburg, Ill.) jumper. The Mustangs closed the second stanza with a 16-8 run to lead 46-26 at the break.

Minnesota Crookston cut their deficit to 16 points with a pair of Miller free throws with 6:58 remaining in the third frame. Three Busse free throws pushed the Mustangs lead to 53-34. Southwest Minnesota State extended their lead to a game-high 24 after a Gerads lay-in. The Golden Eagles countered with a 7-0 run with a Winjum bucket with 44 seconds left in the third. A Nielsen jumper widened the gap to 19 points going into the quarter sojourn.

A Maenke trey for the Mustangs extended the lead to 22 with 9:46 left in the game. The Golden Eagles made their push with a 15-0 rally paced by the play of Westby and Winjum. The Mustangs did not score a point for nearly four minutes, as Minnesota Crookston trailed by seven. Three-straight free throws extended the Southwest Minnesota State lead to 10 with 4:48 remaining in the game. A pair of Westby free throws brought Minnesota Crookston within seven with 1:26 left in the tilt. The Mustangs were ultimately able to fend off the charge, as they picked up a 76-66 victory at home.

The Golden Eagles return home to host No. 2 Minnesota State University Friday, January 30 at Lysaker Gymnasium in Crookston.