Minnesota Crookston women’s basketball outscored Minnesota Duluth 26-10 in the first quarter and closed out a fourth-quarter comeback in a 66-61 win in an NSIC game played at Lysaker Gymnasium in Crookston.
The Golden Eagles started the game strong with a 26-point first quarter, and Bren Fox (Fr., Norwood Young America) got things going with an offensive rebound and putback to give UMC a 2-0 lead early in the game. UMC added an Isieoma Odor (Sr. Bloomington) free throw and after a Bulldog basket, Odor and Caitlin Michaelis scored on back-to-baskets for a 7-2 lead over two minutes into the game. UMC led 11-7 when they went on an 8-0 run with a three-point play from Odor and five straight points from Paige Cornale (Fr., Oak Creek, Wis) for a 19-7 lead with less than four minutes left in the first quarter. The Golden Eagles led 21-10 and finished the quarter strong with another Cornale basket and a three-pointer by Kylea Praska (Fresh. Thief River Falls) for a 26-10 lead at the end of the first quarter. UMC made 8 of 17 shots (47%) and held Duluth to 4 of 21 shooting (19%). “We got off to a decent start,” said UMC head coach Mike Roysland. “We got some momentum, and we got into a little bit of a comfort level. We had it going inside and outside. We finished some stuff at the rim, and we did a nice job of defending. We allowed them just one shot, and I thought Bren Fox was really the leader in terms of rebounding. Between her and Isi (Odor) we had everybody chipping in, but Bren played some tremendous defense early on and got some really key rebounds.”
In the second quarter, UMC’s Michaelis buried a three-pointer for a 29-10 lead. UMC continued to play well, and Duluth continued to struggle on the offensive side of the ball, and the Golden Eagles led 33-17 halfway through the first half. UMD scored six straight points to get within a 10-point deficit (33-23) with three minutes left in the first half. After two UMC free throws, UMD answered with four straight points, and the Golden Eagles responded with another big three-pointer from Praska for a 38-27 lead. Duluth ended the half on a 5-0 run with a three-pointer and a layup with two seconds left, and Minnesota Crookston took a 38-32 lead into halftime.
Minnesota Duluth opened the second half with a three-pointer to pull within 38-35. A lay-up brought the Bulldogs within 38-37 with 8:42 remaining in the third quarter. Kylie Post responded for the Golden Eagles with a three-pointer pushing the hosts out in front 41-37. After Minnesota Duluth pulled within 44-39, Paige Weakley (Jr., Kearney, MO) buried a corner three-pointer giving UMC a 44-39 lead. The Bulldogs countered with a 5-0 run to tie the game before Abby Guidinger (Soph., Waukesha, WI) made a lay-up to regain a 46-44 lead for Minnesota Crookston. Following an Isieoma Odor (R-Sr., Bloomington) lay-up, Abby Guidinger added a free throw to close the fourth quarter with the Golden Eagles ahead 49-46.
Following a Minnesota Duluth lay-up to open the final quarter, Caitlin Michaelis (Sr., Marshfield, WI) made a lay-up giving the hosts a 51-48 lead with 9:26 left to play. A Bren Fox free throw gave Minnesota Crookston a 52-48 lead, but the Bulldogs answered with four straight points tying the game at 52-52. A lay-up with 3:51 remaining gave Minnesota Duluth its first lead of the night 56-55. Following a UMC turnover, the Bulldogs added a pair of free throws to take a 58-55 lead with 3:19 left to play. Abby Guidinger attacked the rim for Minnesota Crookston and drew contact earning a trip to the free throw line where she made two shots and pulled the Golden Eagles within 58-57 with 3:00 remaining. Another foul inside on UMC’s next possession sent Isieoma Odor to the line where she converted both attempts regaining a 59-58 UMC lead with 1:57 to play. A split pair of UMD free throws tied the game at 59-59 with 1:42 to play. Out of a Minnesota Crookston timeout, Odor collected an entry feed on the right block and kicked a pass out of a double-team to an open Caitlin Michaelis who swished a three-pointer giving the Golden Eagles a 62-59 lead. “People are doing all that they can to stop Isi (Odor),” explained Roysland. “Our players are doing a great job of finding her, and now Isi is doing a really good job of finding them back. The way to make opponents pay is to make opponents pay from the outside and then Isi will be isolated on the inside.” UMD pulled within 62-61 with a lay-up in the final minute but were unable to regain the lead after missing a three-pointer on their next possession. Leading 62-61, Abby Guidinger was fouled and made two free throws giving UMC a 64-61 lead. After Minnesota Duluth missed a game-tying three-point try, Isieoma Odor headed to the free throw line and iced the game closing out Minnesota Crookston’s 66-61 win. “We beat a really good team,” summarized Roysland. “We defended our home floor. We had a nice bounce back. You have to go through learning how to win tough games and how to make tough plays. The best learning thing is to go through it and come away with a win.”
Minnesota Crookston improves to 9-5 overall and 4-4 in conference play. The Golden Eagles return to the court on Friday when they travel to Aberdeen, SD to take on Northern State at 5:30 PM on KROX. Minnesota Duluth falls to 7-4 overall and 6-2 in the NSIC.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| UMD | 10 | 22 | 14 | 15 | 61 |
| UMC | 26 | 12 | 11 | 17 | 66 |
| For UMC | Points | Rebounds | Assists/Steals |
| Isieoma Odor | 21 | 8 | 3 assists |
| Caitlin Michaelis | 10 | 3 | |
| Abby Guidinger | 7 | 3 | |
| Paige Cornale | 7 | ||
| Kylea Praska | 6 | 4 | |
| Kylie Post | 5 | 6 | 3 assists |
| Bren Fox | 5 | 11 | 2 assists |
| Paige Weakley | 3 | 5 | |
| Steph McWilliams | 2 | 1 |
