Women's Basketball Report: February 3
St. Cloud State 85, Minnesota State 69
Mankato, Minn. -- Anchored by 33 points and 11 rebounds from center Erika Quigley, St. Cloud Stateused a 65 percent effort from the field to cruise past Minnesota State, 85-69, in MSU's Taylor Center.
The Huskies sunk 32-of-49 field goals and blocked 11 MSU shots, holding their lead for the entire contest. SCSU also scored 52 of its 85 points in the paint and had four players in double digits points.
In the first three-and-a-half minutes, St. Cloud State blocked seven of the Mavericks' first 13 shots, and Quigley scored 12 of the team's first 25 points. Quigley was a perfect 9-of-9 from the field until she missed a lay-up with 45 seconds remaining, and SCSU went into the lockerroom with the 48-38 advantage.
MSU pulled to within five, 59-54, with 11:19 left to play but continued to struggle when shooting. The team finished the game making just 25-of-76 shots for a 33 percent clip and sunk only six three-pointers on 27 attempts.
Both Alanna Wahl and Joanne Noreen finished with 12 points, while Heather Johnson added 11, sinking three three-pointers. Anna Voltmer tied her career high with eight rebounds, anchoring the team's 37-34 advantage on the boards.
Quigley posted a double-double for SCSU with 33 points and 11 rebounds, while Jackie Carlson sunk 12 points, Heather Miller added 11 points and Kayla Rengel had 10 points. The Huskies posted a total of 11 blocks to MSU's two.
SCSU now improves to 48-31 all-time against MSU, earning the last 19-consecutive victories. The last time MSU defeated St. Cloud State was on Dec. 20, 1998.
Augustana 61, Minnesota Duluth 49
Duluth, Minn. - The outside temperature was an artic -14 below when the tip went up for Minnesota Duluth's Saturday afternoon.
Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, Romano Gymnasium wasn't much of a refuge from the cold.
UMD shot 17-of-54 for a chilly 31.8 percent from the field, the second most frigid output of the season, to doom its upset chances against Augustana 61-49.
The Bulldogs were left to bundle up after the Vikings created their own heat, hitting a blazing 68.4 percent from the floor on 13-of-19 shooting and an even warmer 71.4 from the 3-point line in the first half.
UMD, who trailed by as many as eight with nine minutes to play, battled back, scoring 11-consecutive unanswered points, spurred on by Katie Winkeman and Justine Axtell. Winkelman tallied five points, while Axtell drained two key treys in just over three minutes of play to take the lead 23-20 with 6:29 remaining. But the Vikings would go on their own 8-0 run to retake the advantage, and finally rounded out the half by hitting a jumper with two ticks left on the board to protect a 35-28 decision into the locker room.
The Bulldogs thawed enough in the second half to go on a 12-0 binge to take a four-point lead (39-35), thanks in part to Axtell's back-to-back 3-pointers. Augustana would respond, however, and after tying the game for the sixth time, the Vikings would pull away for good, benefiting from the wind-chill UMD's shooting percentage created. After helping start two significant Bulldog runs, Winkelman and Axtell would go cold from the floor, with Winkelman hitting just 1 of her 9 attempts and Axtell connecting on just 3-of-7 shots in the second half.
The Vikings were led by two players who had double-digit outings. Alison Adamson led Augustana with 14 points, while Amy Puthoff added 10.
UMD had a trio of players in double-figures, including Axtell with 14 points and six boards, Winkelman with 13, and Katy Freeman with 11 tallies and six rebounds.
South Dakota 68, Nebraska-Omaha 59
Vermillion, S.D. -- Led by 16 points from both Shannon Daly and Bridget Yoerger, South Dakota picked up a 68-59 win over Nebraska-Omaha before 2,112 at the DakotaDome.
With the win, USD swept the season series from UNO as the Coyotes won in Omaha on Feb. 3 by a 70-55 score.
Daly and Yoerger helped the Coyotes forge a 28-20 halftime lead and the home-standing Coyotes withstood UNO, 40-39, in the second half.
Daly had 16 points, six assists, three steals and four rebounds in a solid all-around game. She hit 5-of-10 field goals, including 2-of-3 from three-point range and 4-of-5 from the foul stripe. Yoerger finished with 16 points and seven rebounds. Daly and Yoerger were joined in double figures by Ashley Robinette, who had 11 points.
Overall, South Dakota hit 24-of-56 shots from the field for 42.9 percent, including 8-of-21 from the three-point arc. USD, the league's top free throw shooting team, made 12-of-15 free throws for 80 percent.
Nebraska-Omaha, who saw its two-game NCC win
streak snapped, was led by Karen Thies, who had 15 points, eight
rebounds. Cayla Hargrove added 13 points and eight rebounds. UNO
made 22-of-53 shots from the field for 41.5 percent, including
9-of-19 from three-point range for 47.4 percent. UNO was just
6-of-12 from the foul line for 50 percent.