STIFLING DEFENSE LEADS SIOUX FALLS TO WIN OVER UMC WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

The University of Minnesota Crookston (UMC) Golden Eagles Women’s Basketball committed 28 turnovers and fell 14-0 to start the game in an 80-47 loss to Sioux Falls in an NSIC game played at the Stewart Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. 

Sioux Falls started the game quickly and never let UMC hang around. The Cougars scored the games first fourteen points before a Kylie Post (Fr., Corcoran) lay-up got Minnesota Crookston on the scoreboard behind 14-2 with 6:00 to play in the first quarter. The Cougars responded with two-straight baskets to take an 18-2 lead before Isieoma Odor scored four-straight points trimming the deficit down to 18-6. Odor scored a lay-up through a foul, completing the three-point play before a Kylea Praska (Fr., Thief River Falls) lay-up pulled the Golden Eagles within 20-11. Following a 4-0 run for USF, Caitlin Michaelis (Sr., Marshfield, WI) made three-pointer cutting the deficit down to 24-14 after one quarter of play. “We made turnovers and then they hit shots,” explained Minnesota Crookston head coach Mike Roysland. “They opened up the game with a three and basically our turnovers led to a lot of points for them in transition where they drove it in and kicked it out for some threes.”

Sioux Falls scored the first four points of the second quarter to take a 14 point lead before a 7-0 run halfway through the half all but put the game away for good with the Cougars taking a 35-16 lead with 4:57 left in the first half. Minnesota Crookston scored just six points in the second quarter with Sioux Falls taking a 43-20 lead into halftime. “They were able to put enough pressure on the guards where we were unable to control the situation,” said Roysland. “That was it in a nutshell. Going into halftime we had seventeen turnovers and you just can’t do that especially against a nice team like Sioux Falls.”

Sioux Falls opened the second half with a 9-0 run to take a 52-20 early in the third quarter before a Paige Weakley lay-up brought UMC within 52-22. The Cougars continued to pull away in the third quarter taking a 68-31 lead into the final ten minutes. Minnesota Crookston used a lot of new faces in the final quarter with freshman keying the Golden Eagles to their best quarter of the game. Minnesota Crookston outscored USF 16-12 in the final ten minutes of the game, but it was Sioux Falls that won the game 80-47. “We were fighting uphill all night,” summarized Roysland. “It was not a good road trip for us at all. We’re just going to have to try to regroup. Sioux Falls jumped all over us right away and wee just really had a bugaboo with the turnovers this weekend. Why? I don’t have the answer for that but we’re just going to continue to work on it and stay positive. We’re just too inconsistent at this particular point.”

Minnesota Crookston falls to 10-12 overall and 5-11 in the NSIC. The Golden Eagles return to the court on Friday night when UMC hosts Minnesota State-Mankato at 5:30 p.m. Sioux Falls improves to 15-7 overall and 10-6 in conference play.