WINONA, Minn. – The Winona State University women's basketball team battled the University of Mary in a back-and-forth affair that featured 14 lead changes over the course of the game Friday night. The NSIC matchup was the opening contest of a two-game home stand for the Warriors and when all was said and done, WSU beat the Marauders, 68-64.
Winona State saw three Warriors reach double-digits and as a team were almost flawless at the foul line in the four-point victory.
In a sign of things to come,
Caitlin Riley drained her first three-point attempt just 12 seconds into the game and
Emily Kieck had two successful free throws and a triple of her own to set the tone early on for head coach
Scott Ballard and his squad. UMary subsequently answered back in each of the first two quarters, led early on by Megan Voit who hit from 3-point land twice in the opening ten minutes.
The first half ended the way it started for the Warriors, with Riley scoring yet another 3-pointer as the clock wound down to give Winona State a narrow 39-35 halftime lead.
UMary managed to respond by mounting a comeback after the break, tying the game at 41-apiece midway through the third frame and eventually taking a lead of 50-47 heading into the last ten minutes of play.
At that point, buckets by
Mattie Schimenz,
Emma Fee and a rare two-pointer from Riley saw Winona State take the lead late in the contest. Six straight UMary points carved the Warrior advantage to just 63-60 with 90 seconds left. WSU subsequently hit just one of two free throws and a three-point play by UMary's Julia Fiterer saw WSU hold a two-point lead with just 12 seconds left. However, with the ball in the right hands off the inbound play for Winona State, UMary sent Kieck to the line where she hit both free throws to put the game out of reach at 68-64, the eventual final scoreline.
Kieck led all scorers with 22 points in the contest - her second-highest haul of the season - and
Alex Dornfeld pulled in a season-high eight rebounds for Winona State as they notched their third-straight win. Riley reached the 16-point plateau for the third time this season and
Emma Fee's 14 points marked her eighth double-digit scoring game of the year.
As a team, Winona State shot 39.3% from the floor and 36.0% from three-point land. Kieck and Riley made the most of their time behind the arc, combining to go 7-of-14 from deep, including Kieck's perfect 3-for-3 performance. In the end, the game was won at the free-throw line where the Warriors were an impressive 11-of-13. UMary owned a mark of 6-of-12 in free throws on the night.
UMary was led in scoring by Lexie Schneider with 18 points, while Voit chipped in 11. Macy Williams had five rebounds and three assists for the Marauders, who fall to 10-13 overall, 4-10 in the NSIC.
Winona State improves to 10-9 overall and 7-8 in NSIC play and will now look to run their winning streak to four games and capture their second consecutive NSIC sweep. WSU hosts Minot State on Saturday, Jan. 29, tipping off at 3:30pm in McCown Gymnasium, home of WNB Financial Court.
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
