Box Score
MOORHEAD, Minn. -- Despite a season-high 23 points from senior forward
Megan Strese, the Minnesota State University Moorhead women's basketball team fell short in its Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference opener on Saturday as the Dragons lost to Northern State, 96-88 at Alex Nemzek Fieldhouse in Moorhead, Minn.
MSUM fell to 4-1 overall and 0-1 in the NSIC with the loss while the Wolves improved to 5-0 overall and 1-0 in the league.
Strese set a new career-high in field goals with a perfect 11-of-11 shooting night. She also added six rebounds. Sophomore forward
Savanna Handevidt had a career-high 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting, while senior forward
Morgan Zabel had 12 points, six rebounds and six assists. Sophomore guard
Meghan Roehrich had 11 points, while sophomore forward
Heather Strese had 10. Senior guard
Haley Thomforde had eight points and six assists.
The game was filled with fouls, as the two teams combined for 52 fouls and 68 free throws. Seven players finished the game with at least four fouls. Northern State had a big advantage at the free-throw line, hitting 32-of-43 attempts, compared to 21-of-25 for the Dragons. MSUM shot 48.4 percent (31-of-64) compared to 52.5 percent (31-of-59) for the Wolves. Northern outrebounded MSUM 36-31.
Down by 10 at halftime, the Dragons stormed back to open the second half to tie the game at 48-48 over the first 3:14. Strese led the way during the 12-2 run with four points, while Banasik and Zabel had three each.
The Wolves answered with a 13-2 run over their own to stretch the lead to 61-50 with 13:22 left, but again, MSUM battled back. The Dragons once again came back, going on a 19-8 run over the next three minutes to tie the game at 69-69. Thomforde and Roehrich each scored six points during the run for the Dragons.
MSUM was within 75-74 with 7:42 left after a pair of Zabel free throws but the Wolves answered with a decisive 9-0 run over the next 3:12 to build an 84-74 lead. MSUM got no closer than six the rest of the way.
The first half was close most of the way before the Wolves pulled away to a 10-point lead late to take a 46-36 lead into halftime. There were two ties and 14 lead changes in the opening 20 minutes.
The Dragons, who had senior starters
Haley Thomforde and
Megan Strese for limited time because of foul trouble, shot just 37.9 percent (11-of-29) in the first half, compared to 53.1 percent (17-of-32) for the Wolves. MSUM had nine turnovers which led to 12 Northern State points.
Handevidt had an excellent first half or MSUM with 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting. Strese had eight points.
MSUM goes on its first NSIC road trip of the 2013-14 season next week, starting Friday at the University of Mary. Game time is 6 p.m. Central time in Bismarck, N.D.
Steve d'Eustachio Stat of the Game: Tonight's 96 points scored by Northern State was the most given up by the Dragons at home since losing 97-88 in overtime to St. Cloud State on Dec. 16, 2006.
