UMC WOMEN’S BASKETBALL USES STIFLING DEFENSE IN WIN OVER BSU

The University of Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagle women’s basketball team snapped a two-game losing streak with a 73-63 win over Bemidji State in an NSIC game played at Lysaker Gymnasium in Crookston.

Isieoma Odor (Sr., Bloomington) opened the scoring with a pass from Kylie Post (Fr., Corcoran) leading to a wide-open lay-up 11-seconds into the game giving UMC a 2-0 lead. Bemidji State and UMC traded baskets getting the game to 4-4 with 7:22 left in the first quarter. Odor sparked a 6-0 run for the Golden Eagles with Abby Guidinger (Soph., Waukesha, WI) scoring four-straight points giving the hosts a 9-4 lead. The Beavers countered with a 5-2 run before Isieoma Odor scored six-straight points giving the Golden Eagles a 17-9 lead. Bemidji State’s Brooklyn Bachman (Soph., Minooka, IL) made a lay-up with 4-seconds left in the quarter, but Kylie Post buried a deep three-pointer at the buzzer giving Minnesota Crookston a 22-13 lead. “We got out of the gates alright,” explained UMC head coach Mike Roysland. “I thought it was huge to get off to a great start. We did a nice job moving the basketball, and we had a multitude of different players who scored at different times, and that’s exactly what we want.”

Bemidji State opened the second quarter with a 5-0 run to pull within 22-18 with 8:51 to play in the second quarter. Bren Fox (Fr., Norwood Young America) stopped the Beavers run with a lay-up through the foul giving UMC a 25-18 lead after the free-throw. Bemidji State rattled off seven-straight points tying the game at 25-25 with 6:49 left in the first half. Caitlin Michaelis (Sr., Marshfield, WI) regained the lead for the Golden Eagles with another lay-up through the foul making the free-throw to give UMC a 28-25 lead. Paige Weakley added a lay-up pushing the Golden Eagles’ lead to five. Taylor Bray made a lay-up for the Beavers to pull the visitors within 30-27 before Minnesota Crookston scored seven-straight points including five-straight from Paige Cornale (Fr., Oak Creek, WI) pushing UMC’s lead to 37-27 with 3:51 left in the first half. A pair of Weakley free-throws gave UMC a 39-39 lead with 2:04 left in the second quarter, but the Beavers closed the half by scoring the final four points trimming the Bemidji State deficit down to 39-33 at halftime. 

Isieoma Odor opened the second half scoring with a free-throw 2:13 into the third quarter giving the Golden Eagles a 40-33 lead. Paige Weakley added a three-pointer expanding the host’s lead 43-34 with 6:47 to play in the third quarter. Bemidji State utilized a 5-0 run to pull within 43-39 before an Isieoma Odor lay-up sparked a 9-0 UMC run including five-straight free-throws made by Minnesota Crookston giving the Golden Eagles a 52-39 lead with 3:15 to play in the quarter. UMC and Bemidji State each score four-points in the final minutes of the third quarter allowing Minnesota Crookston to take a 56-43 lead into the fourth quarter. “We played a good third quarter and set the table to close things out,” said Roysland. “We got enough stops and got enough scores knowing that going into the fourth quarter we just had to beat them, but (Bemidji State) didn’t fold at all.”
Abby Guidinger made a lay-up to open the final quarter pushing the Golden Eagles lead to 58-43. The lead grew to 61-45 after an Isieoma Odor lay-up with 8:18 to play. Bemidji State utilized a quick 9-1 run pulling within 62-54 with 6:08 to play, but the Golden Eagles responded with two-straight possessions ending in three-point plays scored by Isieoma Odor giving the Golden Eagles a 68-56 lead with 3:19 remaining. Brooklyn Bachmann made a lay-up through a foul and completed her own three-point play to pull the Beavers back within 69-61 with 1:56 to play, but Isieoma Odor responded with a pair of free-throws giving her 28 points on the night before a Kylie Post lay-up with 1:22 remaining gave the Golden Eagles a 73-61 lead. Bachman made a lay-up for Bemidji State cutting the deficit back down to 73-63 with 1:04 left to play, but Bemidji State was held scoreless over the final minute of the game as Minnesota Crookston secured a 73-63 win. “This was a game that we had to win,” summarized Roysland. “Maybe that was a little bit of self-induced pressure on ourselves, but we just knew that in order to stay within the pack, you’ve got to defend your home floor. Obviously, though, our kids know we’re going to have to play with more efficiency going forward.”

UMC improves to 8-4 overall and 3-3 in conference play. The Golden Eagles return to the court on Friday when they host St. Cloud State at 5:30 p.m. Bemidji State drops to 2-8 overall and 0-6 in the NSIC.