MINNESOTA CROOKSTON WOMEN’S BASKETBALL BEATS NORTHERN STATE FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2013

Minnesota Crookston women’s basketball utilized strong defense and clutch free throw shooting in a 61-54 win over Northern State in an NSIC game played at Lysaker Gymnasium in Crookston.
After Northern State scored the opening basket, Bren Fox (Fr., Norwood Young America) tied the game at 2-2 with a lay-up in her first start of the season. Kylie Post (Fr., Corcoran) attacked the rim throughout the first quarter scoring two straight baskets for UMC to pull the Golden Eagles within 9-8 with 7:17 to play in the quarter. With 5:39 remaining in the quarter Caitlin Michaelis (Sr., Marshfield, WI) knocked down a three-pointer tying the game at 11-11. An 8-0 run capped off by an Abby Guidinger (Soph., Waukesha, WI) triple gave UMC a 19-14 lead with 2:43 to play in the opening quarter. The two sides traded free throws during the final minute of the quarter allowing Minnesota Crookston to claim a 23-20 lead after one quarter of play. “We got a little bit settled in,” said UMC head coach Mike Roysland. “We had a lot of decent looks that we weren’t able to capitalize on. I was really concerned that it might come back to haunt us, but we were able to get stops.”
Kylie Post scored the first five points of the second quarter pushing the Golden Eagles’ lead to 28-20 just 1:10 into the second frame. The Wolves answered with a 10-0 run halfway through the quarter to gain a 32-30 lead with 3:20 left in the first half. Caitlin Michaelis snapped a scoring drought of over five minutes with a top of the key three-pointer giving UMC a 33-32 lead at halftime. 
Northern State opened the second half with the first four points taking a 36-33 lead before a pair of Isieoma Odor free throws sparked a 7-0 UMC run concluding with a Kylea Praska (Fr., Thief River Falls) three-pointer giving the Golden Eagles a 40-36 lead. Minnesota Crookston used another 7-0 run late in the quarter to take a 47-39 lead, but the Wolves closed the quarter with five straight points trimming the deficit down to 47-44 after three quarters of play. “I thought our kids did a nice job of attacking the rim,” added Roysland. “The block circle really became a factor in tonight’s game,” said Roysland of his team’s 23 made free throw performance. “I went with as much size as I could with as much defense as we could, thinking we could generate enough speed for some offense, but we defended well enough and did enough on the glass to limit their second-chance looks.”
A three-pointer from Northern State opened the fourth quarter scoring tying the game at 47-47 with 7:58 to play. UMC answered with three-straight points before trading baskets back and forth sending the game into the final minute tied at 54-54. Isieoma Odor was fouled with 0:59 left in the game and sent to the free throw line with the Golden Eagles in the bonus as Odor made one free throw giving UMC a 55-54 lead. Following a defensive stop, Stephanie McWilliams (Jr., Grand Forks, ND) was fouled and made both of her free throws expanding the hosts’ lead to three points. Again, the Wolves’ subsequent possession came up empty and Bren Fox was fouled after bringing down the rebound with 0:13 to play. Fox made both of her free throws before Odor made two more in the waning seconds to close out the 61-54 win. “I just thought we rebounded the ball well enough,” summarized Roysland. “We went a little bit bigger tonight, kind of off the fly, we got a lot of contributions out of a lot of different kids tonight. Northern State is always tough inside. It’s always a battle, but we feel really good about coming away with a win.”
Minnesota Crookston improves to 7-2 overall and 2-1 in conference play. The Golden Eagles head on the road for next Saturday to take on Augustana in Sioux Falls at 2 p.m. Northern State falls to 3-5 overall and 1-2 in the NSIC.