UMC WOMEN’S BASKETBALL FIRST HALF OFFENSIVE STRUGGLE COSTLY IN LOSS AT UPPER IOWA

The University of Minnesota Crookston (UMC) Golden Eagles Women’s Basketball struggled offensively in the first half, only scoring 19 points, and the Upper Iowa Peacocks cruised the rest of the way in an 82-67 victory in a Northern Sun Conference game played in Fayette, Iowa.

First Quarter –
UMC had a great start and took a 5-0 lead two minutes into the game with a three-pointer by Abby Guidinger (Jr. Waukesha, WI) and a basket from Mary Burke (Fresh. Virginia). Upper Iowa responded with a tone-setting 11-0 run while holding UMC scoreless for over five minutes. UMC finally broke their scoring drought with another Burke basket and trailed 11-7 with 2:31 left in the opening quarter. The teams exchanged baskets in the final two minutes and Upper Iowa took a 13-9 lead into the second quarter.

Second Quarter –
UMC started the second quarter with a Mattea Vetsch (Fresh. Devils Lake, ND) three-pointer to get within a one-point deficit (13-12). Upper Iowa, as they would all game long, had an answer with a 5-0 run. After two Alyssa Peterson (Fresh. Menagha) free throw’s, UMC’s offense went into another offensive drought and Upper Iowa went on a 12-5 run over the final six-plus minutes of the half and the Peacocks took a 32-19 lead at halftime. “We gave up 32 points at halftime,” explained UMC head coach Mike Roysland. “Typically if you can hold a team to 64 points in a game your offense should hopefully generate enough points to win. That was always our goal if you can hold a team under 65, you should be able to generate enough offense.”

Third Quarter –
For the third straight quarter, UMC scored the first points of the game with a Peterson basket. Once again, Upper Iowa answered with a run of five straight points to build a 37-21 lead. The teams exchanged baskets the rest of the way and The UMC scored 21 points in the quarter, two more points than they scored in the first half. The problem was Upper Iowa scored 25 points to hold a 57-40 lead at the end of the quarter. “We had some turnovers that really hurt us in the third quarter,” added Roysland.

Fourth Quarter –
UMC started the fourth quarter by scoring the first points with an Emma Carpenter and after an Upper Iowa basket, UMC went on a 7-0 run with baskets from Burke and Guidinger and Vetsch added a three-pointer to bring the Golden Eagles within a 59-49 deficit with eight minutes left in the game. UMC’s offense went into another drought and Upper Iowa went on a 12-2 run, sparked by back-to-back three-point plays and took a 71-52 lead halfway through the quarter. Upper Iowa held on the rest of the way for an 82-67 victory. “Tonight was really a tough night,” summarized Roysland. “We scored 27 points in the last quarter. We had golden opportunities to score 27 in the first quarter. It’s a struggle right now because you can’t create better shots than the ones we’re taking. We really had a lot of open looks. It takes the wind out of your sails when you’re not able to knock those shots down.”

UMC drops to 1-11 in the NSIC and 2-14 overall.  UMC will host the University of Mary on Friday at 5:30 p.m.  Upper Iowa improves to 2-10 in the NSIC and 3-15 overall.