DULUTH, Minn. – Winona State women's basketball fell short to Minnesota Duluth 55-59 on the road.
Winona State held a close first half against the number two team in the NSIC, trailing 20-21 at halftime. WSU found themselves with a 45-36-point lead going into the final quarter where they would fall short 59-55.
How it Happened:
WSU started the game with a 11-6-point lead after a tough layup finish by
Lydia Lakanen in the post at the 3:01 minute mark. After a short dry spell for the Warriors, Minnesota Duluth was able to capitalize on back-to-back possessions, scoring in fast break fashion and hitting an electric three point shot to end the first quarter and tie it at 11-11.
With five lead changes in the second quarter alone, the Warriors and Bulldogs were both clicking offensively when it mattered most.
Vivica Bretton was able to hit a pair of crisp free-throws but was immediately countered by UMD's Ashley Fritz one a fast break three point shot at the 7:05 minute mark. The next score wouldn't come until the 5:14 minute mark and from there on out the score would scarcely change with the score going into halftime being 21-20 in favor of the Bulldogs.
In the second half,
Hailey Markworth connected on back-to-back possessions in the paint to give the Warriors a 27-23-point lead. Winona State would later go on a 7-0 point run that would be halted by a pair of UMD free throws at the 2:56 mark with a score of 36-30. WSU would finish the quarter strong connecting on multiple possessions and giving them a comfortable 45-36-point lead heading into the final quarter of play.
To finish the game, Winona State found themselves with the largest lead of the night (48-38) but it the Bulldogs found their spark from behind the arc shooting 4-of-6 and narrowing the lead in the fourth quarter, 54-51 at the 3:40 mark. After a WSU missed layup and turnover, Minnesota Duluth was able to take control after another successful three point shot and a good layup in the paint. The game would end on a UMD free throw shot with 0:07 seconds on the clock with a score of 55-59.
Statistical Comparison:
- The Warriors shot 20-of-53 (37.7%) from the field while the Bulldogs went 21-of-51 (41.2%)
- Winona State shot two-of-11 (18.2%) from deep with Minnesota Duluth going seven-of-24 (29.2%) from three-point land.
- The Warriors dominated the glass with 39 rebounds compared to the Bulldogs 28.
- Bretton and Markworth led WSU in scoring with 18 points each.
- Megan Schuman chipped in with 8 points while Sadie Jarmolowicz added four points in the loss.
- The Bulldogs were led by Myra Moorjani who scored a team-high 18 points on seven-of-13 shooting.
Winona State will travel to Bemidji, Minn. to play the Bemidji State Beavers on Saturday, January 24th at 3:30pm.
