WINONA, Minn. - The Winona State University women's basketball team found itself in a run-and-gun affair with the Southwest Minnesota State Mustangs on Friday, December 9 in a key NSIC South match up in McCown Gymnasium, home of WNB Financial Court.
Although Winona State had three Warriors reach double digits in the game, the back-and-forth contest saw WSU fall just short against SMSU, losing 66-59.
Winona State jumped out to an early lead, knocking down their first three shots in the opening eight minutes. However, the Warriors had their seven-point run matched by the Mustangs, who rattled off a nine-point stretch to take a 15-13 lead by the end of the first quarter.
In the second stanza, the Mustangs increased their advantage over Winona State, outscoring WSU 17-14. Winona State saw SMSU battle on the boards, out rebounding the Warriors 16-10 in the first half.
Alex Dornfeld and
Lauren Fech shared top scoring honors with eight points each in the first half for head coach
Ana Wurtz. Dornfeld was 4-of-5 from the floor, while Fech was 3-of-5 in the run of play and 2-of-2 from the free throw line. At the half, Winona State trailed Southwest Minnesota State, 32-27.
After the break, Winona State opened strong, with
Mattie Schimenz connecting on a three pointer to start the third quarter. WSU then forced a shot clock violation on the ensuing Mustang position and scored again in transition, drawing WSU to within four points at 34-30. The two teams traded blows for the remainder of the third quarter, with Winona State outscoring the Mustangs 18-13 to draw level at the end of the third frame, 45-45.
The fourth quarter was equally nip and tuck, until the Mustangs went on a 5-point run midway through the final 10 minutes to pull away from Winona State. Forced to foul in the final 90 seconds, the Warriors saw the Mustangs use free throws and timely rebounding to pull away, defeating the Warriors 66-59.
Lauren Fech finished as the top scorer for Winona State, notching 15 points, while
Alex Dornfeld and
Mattie Schimenz both added 13 apiece to the Warrior effort. Schimenz was 3-for-3 from 3-point territory, including two in the second half.
Coming off the bench,
Kaitlyn Schrimpf hauled in four rebounds, matching Fech and Dornfeld for the team lead on the boards.
Southwest Minnesota State was led in scoring on the night by Sam Wall with 17 points. Madison Gehloff had seven rebounds for SMSU.
As a team, WSU connected on 24-of-54 shots from the floor, a 44.4% mark. Winona State earned eight trips to the foul line, knocking down six attempts. From behind the arc, Winona State was 5-of-16 (31.3%),
With the loss, Winona State slides to 7-3 on the year and is 1-3 in NSIC play. WSU will host the University of Sioux Falls on Saturday, Dec. 10 in the back half of their NSIC weekend. The Cougars and Warriors will tip off at 3:30 p.m. 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.
