Winona, Minn. – In one of the best women's basketball games played in McCown Gymnasium, Winona State outlasted Minnesota State 95-91 in overtime to claim an exciting win, and a veteran Warrior reached a rare milestone along the way.
Head coach
Scott Ballard said,"It was a great bounce back team win for us after an embarrassing loss last night. I am proud of our team's focus and toughness today against a very physical Minnesota State team."
Senior guard
Allie Pickrain joined the 1,000-point club with a long-range three-pointer late in regulation to help force the extra stanza. It was Pickrain's pickpocket defense that started the sequence, as her wraparound steal on Maverick guard Joey Batt forced a turnover that the senior from Woodbury, Minn. turned into three points just seconds later. Her bucket drew Winona State to within three at 78-75 and was the play that shifted the momentum the Warrior's way with under a minute to play.
On the ensuing MSU inbounds, Pickrain forced Minnesota State guard Rylee Nester into another Maverick giveaway, and this time it was
Emily Kieck with the triple to time the game at 78 apiece, scoring off an assist from
Caitlin Riley. Neither team was able to break the 78-78 deadlock in the final 18 seconds, sending the contest into overtime.
In the extra frame, the Mavericks established a three-point lead at 83-80 two minutes in, before the teams traded buckets and free-throws at a frenetic pace. Winona State grabbed the lead for good when
Emily Kieck hit a jumper with 11 seconds to go in OT. Pickrain hit pair of free throws to stretch the Warrior lead - and fittingly - grabbed the final defensive rebound in the last play of the game.
In addition to Pickrain's 20 points, Warrior teammate
Emily Kieck also scored 20 and
Emma Fee led the team with 22. Pickrain notched a team-high five steals, while
Taylor Hustad turned in a monster effort on the boards, hauling in 15. Hustad also had five assists and a blocked shot. Fee was perfect from the foul line (5-for-5) and hit a 3-pointer among her 8-for-13 shooting on the day.
"We made plays at critical times during the game and rebounded very well." Ballard noted.
Winona State out-rebounded the Mavericks, 44-39, and a held a key 18-13 advantage in offensive boards. As a team, WSU was 20-for-28 from the free throw line and hit 13-of-35 three-pointers. In a game that featured 15 lead changes, the 42 points from the Warrior bench proved to be the difference in the game, including a record-setting 20 points from Pickrain.
The Mavericks (6-5 / 5-4 NSIC) are set to host Upper Iowa in their next action. Winona State (2-6 / 2-5 NSIC) will travel to Concordia-St. Paul next Friday and Saturday, Feb. 12-13, to face the Golden Bears.
For the most up to date news in Warrior Athletics, please visit: www.WINONASTATEWARRIORS.com and @WinonaStateATH.
About Winona State University Athletics:
The Winona State University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics, as an integral part of the educational mission of the institution, is committed to offering opportunities to experience academic and athletic excellence for our student-athletes through two simple words: Graduate Champions.
Fourteen Warrior programs compete at the NCAA Division II level within the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC). Winona State University competes as an affiliate member of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) in the sport of women's gymnastics.
Media Contact: Pete Watkins, Director of Athletic Communications | Ph: 507.457.5577 | Email: pwatkins@winona.edu
