WINONA, Minn. - The Winona State University women's basketball team celebrated senior day in style, using a battle-back effort to defeat the University of Minnesota Crookston 70-62 on Saturday, February 24 in McCown Gymnasium, home of WNB Financial Court.
Winona State (10-17, 9-13 NSIC) honored five Warrior seniors; Alex Dornfeld, Emma Carpenter, Ava Sergio, Kaitlyn Schrimpf, and Vanessa Alexander following the contest. WSU was faced with a red-hot Minnesota Crookston team that raced out to a 21-11 lead in the first quarter, but head coach Ana Wurtz saw her team exhibit grit in the contest, closing the gap in the second half and eventually securing the 70-62 Warrior win.
How it Happened:
UMC raced out to a 17-7 lead over Winona State in the first quarter, as the Golden Eagles hit their first three 3-point attempts of the game.
Hailey Markworth and Mattie Schimenz both hit layups late to help close the first quarter Golden Eagle scoring surge, but UMC held a 21-11 advantage after the first ten minutes.
In the second quarter, Winona State began to find an offensive rhythm, with Ava Sergio scoring in the paint at the 8:31 mark and then adding another layup and pair of made free throws moments later. Alex Dornfeld and Schimenz added 3-pointers to the Warrior effort in the second quarter, as Winona State pulled to within four points at the halftime buzzer, 36-32.
At the Half: UMC 36, Winona State 32
The third quarter saw Winona State and Minnesota Crookston trade buckets for the entire 10 minutes, with WSU being led by Alex Dornfeld and Emma Carpenter from behind the arc, as well as Vivica Bretton, who also hit a triple with under three minutes to go in the period. WSU and UMC both tallied 18 points in the frame.
In the final ten minutes, WSU combined a strong Warrior effort on defense - holding the Golden Eagles to eight points - while opening up the offense to the tune of 20 points. Olivia Gamoke, Ava Sergio, and Alex Dornfeld all scored in quick succession three minutes into the stanza, giving WSU the lead for good and breaking a 58-58 tie. Emma Carpenter and Mattie Schimenz would combine to go 4-for-4 from the free throw line late, icing the 70-62 Warrior win.
WSU Stats Standouts:
Alex Dornfeld 17 points, 6 rebounds
Mattie Schimenz 13 points, 3 assists
Emma Carpenter 10 points, 4 assists
Ava Sergio 10 points, 9 rebounds
Team Stats Comparables:
Minnesota Crookston was 9-of-14 (64.29%) from the floor in the opening 10 minutes, while the Warriors were 5-of-16 (31.25%) in the first quarter.
WSU had a 39-32 edge in total rebounds and held an impressive 9-3 edge on the offensive glass.
The Warriors were an impressive 10-of-11 (90.9%) at the free throw line while UMC was 5-of-6 at the stripe.
Beyond the Boxscore:
With the Warrior win, WSU snapped a two-game skid against Minnesota Crookston
WSU has won eight of the last ten games against the Golden Eagles.
Up Next:
Winona State (10-17, 9-13 NSIC) will learn the draw for postseason pairings later this weekend when the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) Women's Basketball Tournament bracket is announced.
