WINONA, Minn. - The Winona State University women's basketball team faced it's toughest test yet in the 2022-23 season, hosting nationally-ranked Minnesota State on Thursday, Dec. 1 in a match up of unbeaten teams tied atop the NSIC South standings.
The nearly 1,000 fans on hand were treated to a top-notch NSIC battle, but In the end, Winona State fell to the sixth-ranked Mavericks, 88-69 in McCown Gymnasium, home of WNB Financial Court.
Winona State matched the Minnesota State energy for forty minutes but the visitor's three-quarter-court pressing style created Warrior turnovers, and eventually, Maverick points. MSU parlayed their pressure into a 25-16 first quarter advantage, but in the second 10-minute period, WSU closed the gap significantly, scoring 24 points in the second stanza. At the half, WSU trailed Minnesota State, 53-41.
After the break, Winona State carved further into the Maverick lead, closing the game to a seven point spread at 56-49. However, an eight-point Maverick run stretched the MSU lead back to double-digits. WSU outscored Minnesota State 14-12 in the third quarter, but the fourth frame saw Minnesota State regain the upper hand with a 23-15 advantage in the final 10 minutes. For the game, Minnesota State held a decided edge in free throws, earning 22 trips to the foul line, compared to ten for WSU.
Lauren Fech was the top scorer for Winona State, notching 13 points, while
Alex Dornfeld added 12 to the Warrior effort. Dornfeld also pulled in 11 rebounds for WSU, marking the fourth time in five games the junior from Markeson, Wis. has hit double-digits on the boards.
Coming off the bench,
Paige Peaslee was a key contributor in the second half for Winona State and head coach
Ana Wurtz as WSU battled back into the contest. Peaslee and Warrior teammate
Ava Sergio were active down low, and Sergio tied Dornfeld for the team lead in assists with five.
Minnesota State was led in scoring on the night by Joey Batt and Natalie Bremer, who both notched 21 points. Emily Russo had seven rebounds for MSU.
As a team, WSU connected on 25-of-58 shots from the floor, a 43.1.% mark. Winona State earned ten trips to the foul line, knocking down eight from the charity stripe. From behind the arc, Winona State was 11-of-30 (36.7%), with Lindsay Hahn and Fech finishing as the top individual 3-point shooters for WSU, both hitting three of five three pointers.
With the loss, Winona State slides to 7-1 on the year and is 1-1 in NSIC play. WSU will hit the road for the first time in NSIC action on Saturday, Dec. 2 when they travel to Concordia University, St. Paul to take on the Golden Bears. CSP and WSU will tip off at 1 p.m. in the Gangelhoff Center.
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www.WINONASTATEWARRIORS.com and
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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.
