WINONA, Minn. - The Winona State University women's basketball used an inspired second-half comeback to take a lead late but Concordia St. Paul found a game-winner on the last shot of the game to down the Warriors 53-52 in McCown Gymnasium, home of WNB Financial Court on Tuesday, Nov. 21.
Winona State (0-5, 0-1 NSIC) saw
Vivica Bretton and
Emma Carpenter hit key buckets late in the game to take a 52-51 lead with less than 10 seconds to go, but Concordia, St. Paul used a jumper by Ally Gietzel as time expired to steal the win from the Warriors.
Key Details: Concordia St. Paul 53, Winona State 52
Attendance: 324
How it Happened
Winona State and Concordia St. Paul traded baskets throughout the entirety of the first quarter with neither team gaining more than a two-point advantage throughout the opening ten minutes.
Vivica Bretton opened the scoring the game for WSU while
Alex Dornfeld would go to deliver six points in the first frame, going 3-of-4 from the floor to start the game.
In the second quarter, CSP began to pull away from WSU, as the visitors used five straight buckets to carve out a nine-point advantage at 26-17.
Ava Sergio connected on a layup with 1:20 left to go in the half to slow the Golden Bear's momentum and the two teams headed to the locker room with Concordia St. Paul leading Winona State 27-19.
Halftime: Concordia St. Paul, 27, Winona State 19
In the second half, Winona State found a balanced offensive rhythm, as the Warriors saw
Mattie Schimenz,
Lindsey Hahn, and
Olivia Gamoke all contribute key baskets, including a triple by Gamoke that cut CSP's lead to 34-28.
Emma Carpenter added a score late in the period and Schimenz sank two free throws with less than a minute in the period, ending the stanza with CSP out front, 40-32.
In the fourth quarter, WSU put together one of their strongest efforts of the year, outscoring CSP 20-13. Winona State battled back through back-to-back 3-pointers, with
Alex Dornfeld and
Emma Carpenter hitting shots from behind the arc to pull the Warriors to within one point at 43-42.
In the final five minutes, the Golden Bears and the Warriors would trade the lead five times, bringing the McCown crowd to their feet.
Vivica Bretton showed poise late in the contest, draining a pair of free throws to take a one point lead. After CSP went back up by one on a trip to the foul line,
Emma Carpenter would put Winona State back in front with a drive to the lane with just three seconds left.
However, coming out of a timeout, and inbounding the ball at mid-court, Concordia St.Paul would find the late winner on a 15-foot jumper by Ally Gietzel, the final play of the game, taking the contest 53-52.
Final Score: Concordia, St. Pau 53, Winona State 52
Team Stat Notables
Winona State outscored Concordia St. Paul 20-13 in the fourth quarter.
CSP and WSU had identical rebounding totals at 41 apiece.
The Golden Bears Ally Gietzel had 18 trips to foul line, scoring 13. As a team, WSU was 8-of-9 in free throws.
WSU Stat Leaders
Alex Dornfeld, 13 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block
Emma Carpenter, 10 points, 6 rebounds, 1 steal
Vivica Bretton, 8 points, 4-of-5 from the foul line
Mattie Schimenz, 6 points, 5 rebounds, 4-of-4 on free throws
Beyond the Boxscore
Alex Dornfeld delivered the first double-double for Winona State this season
The two team traded the lead 11 times in the contest, the most lead changes for a WSU contest this year.
CSP has taken two of the last three matchups between the two teams.
Up Next
Winona State (0-5, 0-1 NSIC) will host Southwest Minnesota State on Friday, Dec. 1 and the University of Sioux Falls on Saturday, Dec. 2. WSU and SMSU will tip off at 7:30pm on Friday and 5:30pm on Saturday; both games are in McCown Gymnasium, home of WNB Financial Court.
