QUINCY, Ill. – Winona State University improved to 3-0 on the young season with an 82-76 come-from-behind win over Maryville University on Friday night at the Quincy Subway Classic. The Warriors trailed 37-30 at halftime, and 68-62 midway through the fourth quarter before rallying to victory.
Winona State scored 33 points in the final quarter on a scorching 77 percent shooting effort in the comeback against the Saints.
Emily Kieck scored 17 of her season-best 21 points in the fourth quarter and Sydney Lodermeier netted 11 of her career-high 17 in the final frame.
After cutting into their halftime deficit with a solid third quarter, the Warriors trailed by just two points entering the fourth. Lodermeier got her big quarter started with an and-one to give Winona State a 52-51 edge, and freshman Caitlin Riley knocked down one of her four triples in the game on the Warriors' next possession. The Saints would rebuild a six-point lead at the 5:19 mark of the frame before Kieck took over for Winona State.
Kieck single-handedly outscored Maryville 11-10 over the remaining five minutes of the contest to propel Winona State to its third straight triumph.
The first quarter was all about points in the paint for the Warriors, as juniors Emma Fee and Taylor Hustad scored 12 of WSU's 19 first quarter points down low. The Warriors would struggle in the second quarter, going 3-10 from the field, and went into halftime facing a seven-point deficit.
Winona State began its comeback by outscoring the Saints in the third quarter, 19-14, thanks to a pair of timely three-pointers by Lodermeier and strong team defense.
The Warriors shot a blistering 52.7 percent from the field on Friday, including a 9-16 effort from beyond the arc. Free throws were the difference in the game, as WSU went 15-20 from the charity stripe while Maryville went just 2-6.
Playing without Allie Pickrain, Kieck really stepped up in the scoring column and dished out a game-high six assists. Freshman Abby Callahan chipped in 11 points as did Fee, who corralled a team-best seven rebounds.
The Warriors are right back at it again on Saturday as they face the host Quincy University at 3 p.m.
