The UMC women’s basketball team hit 15 three pointers and held off a fourth quarter comeback to pick up a narrow road win over NSIC foe Winona State 80-79.
FIRST QUARTER –
It was back and forth early, but UMC was able to get up on Winona State’s 9-4 by the 7:minute mark in the quarter. The Warriors battled back to cut it to one possession, but a Hope Dudycha three made it 12-7 Golden Eagles a minute later. The cat-and-mouse game continued throughout the quarter as UMC would go up, and Winona State continued to answer. UMC led by as many as 6 in the final 90 seconds of the quarter, but the Warriors cut the lead back down to 3 at 23-20 around the 38 second mark. UMC finished the quarter with a late Rayna Klejeski layup to make it 25-20.
SECOND QUARTER –
The Golden Eagles took their momentum into the second with a Willow Thiel layup to start the quarter and extend the lead to 7, but the Warriors answered back with a 7-0 run over the next to minutes to tie the score at 27 each. The teams would trade made shots for the next 2 minutes, and UMC took a 3 point lead from a Riley Jenkins triple about halfway through the quarter. It was. not enough to slow the Warrior momentum, however, as Winona state ended the quarter on a 16-4 run, leaving the Golden Eagles down 46-38.
THIRD QUARTER –
The Golden Eagles came out of halftime with a deficit to erase, and they immediately got to work with an Emma Miller 3 to cut the lead back to two possessions. The teams would trade layups over the next minute, but UMC continued to creep back. Hope Dudycha hit from 3 around the 7:24 mark to cut Winona State’s lead down to 2, but the Warriors answered with a 4 point play to make it 50-46. Nicole Hernandez made a layup through contact and hit a free throw to cut it down to a 1 point game, and an Emma Miller floater helped UMC regain the lead. UMC dominated the rest of the quarter, forcing stops defensively and outscoring the Warriors 12-4 the rest of the way. In all, UMC outscored Winona State 24-9 in the quarter, and entered the fourth with a 62-55 advantage.
FOURTH QUARTER –
Winona State scored first to start the 4th, but UMC continued to push the pace and extended their lead to 67-58 in the first forty seconds of the quarter. The Golden Eagle shooting started to cool off, and Winona State heated up with a 9-0 run over then next three and a half minutes to tie it at 67. Dudycha made a UMC 3 to give the Golden Eagles a 70-67 lead out of a timeout, but the Warriors answered back with a turn-around jumper. Miller and Thiel made shots to put UMC 77-71 lead with just under 4 minutes to go, but UMC missed their next several shots over the next couple of minutes. Winona State made it 77-73 with 94 seconds left in the game, then began to foul. UMC was able to score at the free throw line, and stay ahead of the quick points put up by the Warriors. Winona State cut it to 2 with 16 seconds left, and Dudycha answered back with two made free throws. A three at the buzzer came too little too late, as UMC held on to win 80-79.
UMC improves to 6-9 on the season and 4-5 in the NSIC.
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final | |
| UM-Crookston | 25 | 13 | 24 | 18 | 80 |
| Winona State | 20 | 26 | 9 | 24 | 79 |
| For UMC | Points | Rebounds | Assists/Steals |
| Hope Dudycha | 21 | 2 | 2/1 |
| Emma Miller | 20 | 4 | 4/1 |
| Riley Jenkins | 18 | 4 | 2/0 |
| Nicole Hernandez | 9 | 11 | 3/0 |
| Rayna Klejeski | 5 | 3 | 0/0 |
| Willow Thiel | 4 | 1 | 4/2 |
| Natalie Mikrot | 3 | 0 | 0/0 |
