CROOKSTON, Minn. - The University of Minnesota Crookston women's basketball team commenced the new year with a 63-48 loss to Minnesota State University Moorhead Saturday, January 3 at Gary Senske Court at Lysaker Gymnasium. The Dragons outscored Minnesota Crookston 15-7 in the fourth quarter to put away the Golden Eagles Saturday.
Minnesota Crookston dropped to 3-10 (2-6 NSIC) with Saturday's loss. The Dragons improved to 7-5 (4-4 NSIC) with the victory. MSU Moorhead has won the last two in the series.
The Golden Eagles finished Saturday shooting 18-of-58 for 31.0 percent from the field, and 4-of-18 for 22.2 percent from beyond the arc. Minnesota Crookston was 8-of-9 for 88.9 percent from the stripe. The Golden Eagles notched just 11 turnovers, but were outrebounded 37-34.
Emma Miller (Sr., G, Albertville, Minn.) paced the squad with 17 points and six boards on 8-of-22 from the field. Rayna Klejeski (Jr., F, Barnum, Minn.) chipped in 11 points on 4-of-9 from the field. Anna Westby (Fr., F, Eveleth, Minn.) notched seven points, Riley Jenkins (R-Jr., G/F, Galesburg, Ill.) tallied five points and six rebounds. Halle Winjum (So., G, Crookston, Minn.) added five points.
The Dragons shot 22-of-51 from the field for 43.1 percent. MSU Moorhead went 7-of-19 for 36.8 percent from deep, and 12-of-15 for 80.0 percent from the line. The Dragons were guided by 19 points from Aubrey Morrison off the bench on 6-of-12 from the field, and 4-of-8 from deep. Terryn Johnson had a double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds. Caylin Kelly notched 10 points and six boards.
The Dragons took a 7-4 lead early on an Adie Wagner basket. Minnesota Crookston countered with a 7-0 run, as a Miller steal and fastbreak bucket made it 11-7. Ashton Safranski came back with back-to-back treys to give MSU Moorhead a 13-11 advantage. A Westby jumper knotted the game, but the Dragons wrapped up the quarter with a Johnson basket to go ahead 15-13.
Minnesota Crookston commenced the second stanza with a Miller old-fashioned three-point play to go up 16-15. Minnesota Crookston held a 20-18 lead on a Hope Dudycha (R-Jr., G, Austin, Minn.) free throw. The Dragons were ahead 27-24 with 3:13 remaining in the second after a Kelly hoop. The Golden Eagles came back and pulled within one on a pair of Klejeski free throws. The Dragons concluded the half on a 7-0 run using Johnson free throws to go ahead 34-26.
The Golden Eagles quickly got on the board with a Westby bucket to commence the third quarter and pull within 34-26. The game stayed close until MSU Moorhead broke it out to a 10-point lead on a Johnson basket. Minnesota Crookston countered with a 6-0 rally to pull within 42-38 on a Miller lay-in. The Golden Eagles pulled within three (44-41) on a Jenkins triple. The Dragons finished the stanza on a 4-0 run to lead 48-41 at the quarter intermission.
MSU Moorhead set the tone early in the fourth with a 7-0 run, propelled by six points from Morrison as the Dragons led 55-41 with 7:03 remaining in the tilt. Minnesota Crookston trimmed the deficit to 11 on a Winjum trey, but MSU Moorhead was able to close out the win 63-48.
Minnesota Crookston remains at home to host South Dakota Mines Sunday, January 4 at 1 p.m., at Gary Senske Court at Lysaker Gymnasium. The game will be the final non-conference tilt of the 2025-26 season.
