WINONA, Minn.- The Winona State University women's basketball team battled with St. Cloud State on Saturday, January 27 in a NSIC matchup between the Warriors and Huskies, but a cold-shooting second half saw WSU succumb to SCSU in 55-41 loss.
Winona State (5-14, 4-10 NSIC) was led by Alex Dornfeld's double-double and had a strong showing off the bench from Hailey Markworth. However, SCSU held Winona State to just nine points in both the third and fourth quarters, pulling away for the road win.
How it Happened:
After an 8-2 run by St. Cloud State to open the game, WSU used buckets by Hailey Markworth, Alex Dornfeld and Olivia Gamoke to slow the Huskies momentum. Gamoke's 3-pointer with 1:43 put WSU in the lead at 9-8.
A Markworth make and a pair of Emma Kilpatrick free throws closed out the quarter giving the Warriors a 13-11 lead.
The two teams traded baskets to open the second quarter, and the tightly contested, back-and-forth affair included a long 3-pointer from Dornfeld with under two minutes to go. SCSU would score a late layup to take a slim, one-point lead in the locker room at 24-23.
WSU held SCSU to just a 9-of-32 shooting effort in the opening 20 minutes but WSU fared not much better at 9-of-31 from the floor.
At Half: SCSU 24, Winona State 23
St. Cloud State went on a 6-2 run to start the third quarter, putting Winona State on their heels until Ava Sergio scored a layup while drawing a foul; Sergio converted the free-throw, and the three-point-play helped WSU climb back to a one-possession game at 30-27.
The third quarter saw another Husky run that ran up an 11-point lead with just one minute left in the third when Vivica Bretton and Alex Dornfeld scored late to close the gap to 39-32 in favor of SCSU.
In the fourth quarter, Hailey Markworth again contributed a key score, pulling WSU to within five points at 39-34. Unfortunately for the Warrior faithful, SCSU would embark on a 6-2 run in the middle of the frame to eventually pull away from Winona State.
A Kaitlyn Schrimpf triple just under the minute mark concluded the Warrior scoring on the night, as St. Cloud State dealt WSU a 55-41 setback.
WSU wsa 2-of-13 (15.38%) in the third quarter and hit 3-of-11 (27.27%) in the fourth frame.
WSU Stats Standouts:
Alex Dornfeld 14 points, 14 rebounds, 1 block
Hailey Markworth 11 points, 2 blocks, 2 steals
Team Stats Comparables:
WSU hit 9-of-11 (81.8%) from the free throw line, while SCSU was 9-of-16 (56.3%).
SCSU out-rebounded WSU 41-39, and had a slight edge in offensive boards, 13-11.
The Huskies blocked 7 Warrior shots, while WSU registered four blocks of SCSU efforts.
Beyond the Boxscore:
Alex Dornfeld notched her 4th double-double of the year and 11th of her career.
Dornfeld has exactly 400 defensive rebounds in her WSU career and 534 total boards.
After a home NSIC weekend, WSU will be on the road for the next three Warrior contests.
Up Next:
Winona State (5-14, 4-10 NSIC) will travel to Concordia University, St. Paul, on Tuesday, January 30, for a rare Tuesday tilt against the Golden Bears. WSU and CSP will tip off at 5:30 pm in the Ganglehoff Center in St. Paul.
