SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Agony turned into jubilation for the No. 12 Winona State women's basketball team Friday night, as it was handed a 60-59 win over Sioux Falls at the Stewart Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

Sioux Falls senior guard Taylor Varsho had seemingly – and momentarily – given her squad a one-point win on an NBA range 3-pointer with less than a second to play. That prompted Cougar fans to storm the court in celebration, which after a lengthy review and discussion from the officials resulted in a technical foul on the USF bench. That sent Winona State senior Alexis Foley – one of the best free throw shooters on the best free throw shooting team in the nation –  to the line with .4 on the clock for two free throws, which she promptly buried for the victory, as the Warriors held possession thanks to the technical foul.

The free throws were a bit of redemption for Foley, who missed one of two free throws that would have put WSU up three before Varsho's 3-pointer gave the Cougars their brief one-point lead. Foley finished with a game-high 25 points on 7-of-17 shooting and 3-of-7 from 3-point range. She made 8-of-10 free throws while dishing out three assists in 35 minutes of work.

The win was a crucial momentum swing in the NSIC South Division race, as a Cougar victory would have pulled them even with the Warriors atop the south. Instead, WSU now has a two-game lead over Sioux Falls.

Prior to the wild finish, the game was a back-and-forth affair between two top teams in the league, with 13 lead changes throughout the game. After a 5-0 start to the game, the Warriors went on a 12-0 run to control much of the first quarter and take a 12-5 lead on a Hannah McGlone layup. The Cougars pulled within one point at 20-19 midway through the second quarter, but WSU responded with a traditional 3-point play from Alexis Foley and a 3-pointer from Emily Wirth to spark an 8-0 run in just over two minutes and ended the half leading 28-22.

Foley had 10 of her 25 points in the first half while the Warriors held USF to just 25.8 percent shooting (8-of-31) and Varsho to just one of her 17 points.

It was a string of runs from both teams to begin the third quarter. A Varsho layup capped off an 8-0 run for Sioux Falls to take a 30-22 lead, but WSU countered with an 8-0 run of its own as Connor Nagle buried a 3-pointer to make it 36-30 Warriors with 5:10 to play in the third. Varsho then capped off another run, this time a 6-0 spurt with a 3-pointer to pull the two teams even with 2:46 to play in the quarter and eventually Sioux Falls claimed a one point lead, 41-40, with one more 10 minute period to play.

Foley hit a clutch 3-pointer just over a minute into the fourth quarter to tie it up again at 43-43 and Nagle drove to the basket for a layup to put WSU back in front 47-45 with 7:11 left. The lead would change hands again on a USF 3-pointer before Foley came up big with another 3-point shot for a 52-50 lead with 5:33 to play.

WSU would cling to a 54-52 lead with two minutes to play when Connor Nagle had an open look at a 3-pointer that would have put WSU up five but couldn't get it to fall and Varsho hit connected on her 3-pointer on the other end to put USF back in front with 1:46 left. Hannah McGlone made an acrobatic layup to put the Warriors up 56-55, and a free throw for USF and two for the Warriors set up the 58-56 lead and the wild finish.

McGlone posted Winona State's first double-double of the season with a 10 point, 12 rebound effort on a perfect 5-of-5 shooting with a pair of steals.

Nagle put together a great all-around effort, with seven points, seven rebounds and seven assists along with a pair of steals.

The Warriors finished the game shooting 40.4 percent while holding the Cougars to 33.3 percent and just 7-of-25 from 3-point range. The Cougars also made just 12-of-20 free throws in the outing.

No. 12 Winona State (15-1, 8-1 NSIC) travels to Marshall, Minnesota on Saturday for a 5 p.m. tipoff against Southwest Minnesota State inside the R/A Facility.