WINONA, Minn. - The Winona State University women's basketball team surged to a first-quarter lead against Minnesota State in their Thursday, Dec. 14 matchup in McCown Gymnasium, home of WNB Financial Court, but ultimately the Mavericks pulled away in dealing the Warriors a 66-48 setback.
WSU outscored MSU 17-6 in the first stanza, but the Minnesota State pressing defense eventually allowed the visitors to take a narrow lead at the half and expand on the advantage over the last 20 minutes of play.
Olivia Gamoke led Winona State with 14 points while
Alex Dornfeld delivered seven rebounds and eight points to the Warrior effort.
Key Details: Minnesota State 66, Winona State 48
Attendance: 854
How It Happened
Ava Sergio and
Vivica Bretton provided WSU with a strong start, with Sergio assisting Bretton's game-opening layup, which was followed by a successful Sergio trip to the foul line.
Olivia Gamoke helped stretch the Winona State first-quarter lead with a 3-pointer and mid-range jumper in quick succession, WSU would eventually end the quarter with buckets by
Hailey Markworth and
Lindsey Hahn to own a commanding 17-6 lead.
In the second quarter, Minnesota State overcame their slow-starting opening-period effort, going 10-of-18 from the floor to climb back into the game. The Mavericks held Winona State to just two makes from the floor - one 3-pointer and a layup - although WSU was able to limit the damage done in the run of play by going 4-of-6 from the foul line, with 2-for-2 performances from Gamoke and
Emma Carpenter following Maverick fouls.
The back-and-forth opening 20 minutes would see MSU take a 29-26 lead over WSU into the locker room at the halftime buzzer.
At the Half: Minnesota State 29, Winona State 26
The third quarter opened much like the first frame, with
Vivica Bretton and
Ava Sergio netting WSU's first points of the stanza. Bretton hit a pair of free throws and Sergio connected on a layup to pull WSU within one at 31-30.
Alex Dornfeld would match a Maverick triple with a 3-pointer of her own to help Winona State keep pace at 34-33. However, MSU would go on to outscore WSU 16-4 from that point until the end of the quarter, taking a 50-37 lead into the fourth.
In the final frame, Dornfeld and Gamoke would combine to score the first seven points of the last minutes for Winona State. Despite another four-point run towards the end of the quarter by
Hailey Markworth, WSU was unable to close the gap any further and fell to the Mavericks, 66-48.
WSU Stat Standouts
Olivia Gamoke, 14 points, 3 rebounds, 1 block
Alex Dornfeld, 8 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists
Hailey Markworth, 8 points, 3 steals
Team Stats Comparables
WSU won the free throw battle, knocking down 14-of-18 at the line, while MSU was 10-of-14.
Winona State nearly tripled Minnesota State's first-quarter offensive output at 17-6, but the Mavericks would go on to outscore the Warriors over the final three quarters.
The Warriors were a step ahead on the boards, with WSU out-rebounding MSU 37-27.
Beyond the Boxscore
Minnesota State extended their winning streak over Winona State to five straight games.
The Warriors last beat the Mavericks in a 95-91 OT thriller on Feb. 6, 2021.
For the third straight game,
Hailey Markworth has provided a spark for WSU; Markworth has factored as one of the top WSU performers in the last three NSIC matchups.
Up Next
Winona State returns to NSIC play on Saturday, Dec. 16, heading north to take on the University of Minnesota Duluth. WSU and UMD will square off in a 4 p.m. contest in Romano Gymnasium.
