Box Score
CROOKSTON, Minn. -- Juniors
Haley Thomforde and
Megan Strese each hit a pair of free throws in the final 15 seconds to lift the Minnesota State University Moorhead women's basketball team to a 67-64 win over Minnesota-Crookston in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play Saturday in Crookston, Minn.
MSUM (11-7, 8-6 NSIC) has now won a season-best four in a row, while UMC fell to 5-13 overall and 2-12 in the league with its seventh-straight loss.
Four Dragons scored in double figures, led by senior
Marisa Yernatich with 15 points and a team-best three assists. Senior
Kaycee Charette added 12 points and three steals, while Strese had 11 points and a team-best nine rebounds. Thomforde added 10 points and three steals.
MSUM, which overcame 20 turnovers in the game, shot 47.3 percent (26-of-55) from the field, while the Golden Eagles shot 41 percent (25-of-61). MSUM also had a 37-29 edge in rebounding.
The Dragons, who led by as many as 12 points in the first half, were up 60-51 with 7:34 left after Thomforde drained a jumper. From there, however, MSUM had to weather a Crookston rally as the Golden Eagles went on a 13-3 run and took the lead when Brittani Wiese converted a three-point play with 21 seconds left.
The Dragons answered on their next possession as Thomforde was fouled and converted a pair of free throws to put MSUM up 65-64 with 15 seconds left. On the ensuing possession, the Dragons forced a stop, and Strese was fouled. She hit both free throws with two seconds left, and the Golden Eagles were unable to get off another shot.
MSUM opened the game on an 11-2 run over the first 4:20, thanks to five points from Charette and a three from Yernatich. Minutes later, the lead grew to 22-10 -- the Dragons' biggest advantage of the game -- when Yernatich drained a three pointer off of an assist from junior
Morgan Zabel. The Dragons took a six-point lead (37-31) into halftime.
Zabel added nine points and two rebounds off the bench for MSUM. Freshman
Savanna Handevidt added four points.
MSUM is off until Feb. 2 when it plays at Upper Iowa (6 p.m. tipoff).
Steve d'Eustachio Stat of the Game: The Dragons have now won 18 of their last 19 games versus Minnesota Crookston dating back to the 2003-2004 season. The only loss during this stretch was last season's home 67-59 loss on Dec. 10, 2011.
