ST. PAUL, MN – Winona State University and Concordia, St. Paul swapped the lead three times in the final two minutes of Saturday evening's affair before the Golden Bears ultimately came from behind to hold onto a 53-49 victory over the Warriors.
Aside from the lead changes, the two sides were tied on the scoreboard four times in the fourth quarter of play. Neither the Warriors or Golden Bears shot the ball particularly well Saturday, each registering under 40 percent, and both struggled from beyond the arc, combining to go 10-38 from downtown.
Despite shooting just 34 percent from the field, WSU owned a 17-12 advantage after the first quarter due in large part to some hot shooting early on. The tone for the back-and-forth affair was also set during the opening frame.
A layup by Taylor Hustad gave the Warriors their largest lead of the night, 25-19, midway through the second quarter before Winona State's offense went cold down the stretch. WSU would misfire its final six field goal attempts of the frame. Meanwhile, the Golden Bears began to heat up and went on a nine-point run into the break to take a 28-25 lead into the locker room.
After halftime, the Warrior defense stepped up its intensity and held the home team to just eight points. A basket and a free throw by Rachel Novotny, and later a three-pointer by Julia Silloway cut CSP's lead to one point on two different occasions early in the third quarter. Gabie Doud would follow Silloway by knocking down a three-pointer of her own at the 5:38 mark to knot the score once again at 36-36.
Silloway went 3-4 from downtown in the contest on her way to nine points. Doud eventually sent Winona State into the fourth quarter with a 38-36 edge with a pair of free throws, but the teams went without a field goal over the final five minutes of action in the third frame.
The two teams battled for momentum in the fourth quarter as the Warriors did not relinquish the lead until the two-minute mark where CSP was able to secure an offensive board and convert an and-one. The teams traded trips to the line and jostled for the lead one last time before the Golden bears solidified the victory on a layup with just over a minute left.
Novotny registered double digits in the scoring column for the sixth time this season, leading WSU with 11 points in the setback. Fellow senior, Kayla Schaefer, pulled down a season-best eight rebounds.
Winona State falls to 5-4 (3-2 NSIC) with the loss after splitting the weekend road trip. CSP improves to 7-3 (3-2 NSIC).
The Warriors will have some time off for an extended holiday break before returning to action on Sunday, December 30 at Upper Iowa University.
