After defeating Sioux Falls in both of their regular season matchups, the Cougars won when it counted, defeating the Warriors Sunday night by a score of 71-59. Leading by just four points after one, Sioux Falls used a 17-2 second quarter run to pull away from the Warriors.

The Warriors finish their season at 17-11 (12-10 NSIC). Sioux Falls moves to 26-5 (17-5 NSIC) and will play in the NSIC semi-finals Monday night.

Emma Fee led the Warriors with 14 points on 6-9 shooting while Sydney Lodermeier scored 11 of her own. Taylor Hustad pulled down a team high eight boards in the contest.

Winona State started off strong with Allie Pickrain hitting two three pointers right out of the gate. After some hot shooting from Sioux Falls, an and-one bucket from Sydney Lodermeier cut the deficit to six with a minute left in the frame. Caitlin Riley then sidestepped a defender and hit a three with almost no time on the clock and the Warriors went into the second quarter down just four.

The Warriors struggled in the second quarter, going just 4-13 from the field and getting outscored 20-10 in the frame. WSU scored six of their 10 in the final two minutes of the quarter, with Riley, Loderemeier, and Abby Callahan all hitting shots in the paint. Winona State went into the locker room down 42-28.

Riley would finish with eight points in the game, all coming in the first half.

The Warriors played well in the second half, getting as close as 11 with 6:23 left in the game. Unfortunately, missed opportunities cost the Warriors, as missed layups and turnovers allowed the Cougars to build their lead back up to 18. Fueled by free throws and a three pointer from Taylor Hustad, the Warriors went on a 7-0 run to again cut the deficit to 11 with two minutes left in the game. But the Cougars would work the shot clock well over the final few minutes to come away with the 12 point win.

Fast break points doomed the Warriors, as they only score three the entire game, compared to 24 for the Cougars. Sioux Falls made eight shots from behind the arc in the contest, more than in both their previous games combined. On the other end, the Warriors shot just 6-20 from downtown.

Emily Kieck finished the game with four assists and will end the year as the conference leader in that category with 4.6 assists/game.