The University of Minnesota Crookston (UMC) Golden Eagles Women’s Basketball team hosted the Minnesota State Moorhead (MSUM) Dragons on Saturday afternoon inside of Lysaker Gymnasium for an NSIC tilt. UMC shot the ball well, but The Dragons used a big third quarter to erase a halftime deficit and come away with a 75-62 victory.
FIRST-QUARTER –
The first quarter was filled with plenty of scoring and action as both teams shot the basketball well. MSUM scored the first four points of the game, and after a quick UMC basket from Emma Carpenter (Jr. Eagan, Minn.), the Dragons responded with a three-pointer to take an early 7-2 lead. UMC answered with the next four points thanks to an Emma Carpenter (Jr. Eagan, Minn.), three, and Abi Fraaza (Fr. Birnamwood Wis.) free throw to pull the Golden Eagles within one point at 7-6 with 6:25 remaining in the quarter. The teams went back and forth trading scores until MSUM strung a couple of baskets together and pulled ahead 19-13 with 2:00 remaining in the quarter. Abi Fraaza (Fr. Birnamwood Wis.) would go on a scoring run of her own for UMC, scoring 5 straight points to end the quarter and cutting the MSUM lead to 19-18 after ten minutes of play.
SECOND-QUARTER –
The second quarter was defined by two scoring runs, one for each team. The Dragons came out on fire to begin the second quarter, going on an 11-1 run in the first four minutes to take a 30-19 lead. Over the next six minutes, UMC would go on a 17-3 run to take a 36-33 lead into halftime. The run was highlighted by back-to-back-to-back threes from Jes Mertens (So. Devils Lake, N.D.), Alex Page (Fr. Grand Forks, N.D.), and Mary Burke (Sr. Virginia, Minn.) that electrified Lysaker Gymnasium as UMC took a 34-31 lead. After an MSUM layup, Kylie Post (Sr. Corcoran, Minn.) would answer with a layup of her own to beat the buzzer as UMC would take a 36-33 lead into halftime. UMC shot 58% from the field and an incredible 66% from three-point range in the first twenty minutes. They also forced the Dragons into 10 turnovers by halftime. The Golden Eagles were led through the first twenty minutes by Abi Fraaza (Fr. Birnamwood Wis.) with 10 points, and Kylie Post (Sr. Corcoran, Minn.) with 7.
THIRD-QUARTER –
MSUM came out of halftime and quickly erased the UMC lead and never looked back on their way to victory. They doubled the Golden Eagles in points outscoring them 28-14 in the third quarter. UMC got early baskets from Kylie Post (Sr. Corcoran, Minn.) and Abi Fraaza (Fr. Birnamwood Wis.) to keep a 40-39 lead, but the Dragons would proceed to go on an 11-2 run to take a 50-42 advantage with 4:23 to play in the quarter. After each team scored on their next possession UMC would get two straight layups from Kylie Post (Sr. Corcoran, Minn.) and Mary Burke (Sr. Virginia, Minn.) to pull within 5 at 53-48 with 3:07 remaining in the quarter. The Dragons would end up taking a 61-50 lead into the final quarter after going on an 8-2 run in the final three minutes. UMC’s only made field goal during the run was an Abi Fraaza (Fr. Birnamwood Wis.) layup.
FOURTH-QUARTER –
UMC got a quick three-pointer from Emma Carpenter (Jr. Eagan, Minn.) to start the fourth quarter and cut the lead to single digits, but the deficit was too much for the Golden Eagles to overcome. After an MSUM layup made the score 70-58 Dragons with 5:40 left to play, neither team scored until 1:15 was left on the clock. The Dragons would add a couple of free throws to go up 72-58. UMC would get a pair of free throws down the stretch from Kylie Post (Sr. Corcoran, Minn.) and Abi Fraaza (Fr. Birnamwood Wis.), but the Dragons would hang on for a 75-62 conference win. UMC cooled off from three-point range in the final twenty minutes, hitting just two three-pointers compared to the six they hit before halftime. The Dragons shot over 50% from the field in the contest and forced UMC into 16 turnovers in the win.
UMC falls to 1-10 on the season and 0-5 in NSIC play. They’ll hit the road next weekend for two more conference games. They’ll take on Minot State on Friday and will play at the University of Mary on Saturday. Minnesota State Moorhead improves to 3-6 on the season with the win and 2-3 in the NSIC.
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final | |
| Minnesota State Moorhead | 19 | 14 | 28 | 14 | 75 |
| Minnesota Crookston | 18 | 18 | 14 | 12 | 62 |
| For UMC | Points | Rebounds | Assists/Steals |
| Abi Fraaza | 18 | 2 | |
| Kylie Post | 17 | 5 | 3 assists/3 steals |
| Emma Carpenter | 11 | 2 assists | |
| Mary Burke | 7 | 1 steal | |
| Alex Page | 4 | 3 | 1 assist |
| Jes Mertens | 3 | 6 | |
| Bren Fox | 2 | 1 |
