Box Score
MOORHEAD, Minn. -- Senior guard Haley Thomforde scored a career-high 26 points to lead the Minnesota State University Moorhead women's basketball team to an 81-68 win over Concordia-St. Paul in action Friday night at Alex Namesake Fieldhouse in Moorhead, Minn.

MSUM improved to 9-4 overall and 5-4 in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference with its third straight win, while Concordia fell to 11-5 overall and 6-3 in the league.

Thomforde finished 7-of-9 from the field, including a perfect 3-of-3 from three-point range, and also hit 9-of-12 free throws. Thomforde also had eight rebounds and three assists.

Senior forward Megan Strese set a career-high with 18 rebounds to go with 16 points.   Strese was a perfect 10-of-10 at the free-throw line. She is at 999 career points and just one away from 1,000 for her career heading into Saturday's game against Minnesota State, Mankato. Senior forward Morgan Zabel had 10 points and nine rebounds.

MSUM shot 39.3 percent (22-of-56) while holding Concordia-St. Paul to 33.3 percent (22-of-66). MSUM outrebounded CSP 48-36.

The Dragons led by as many as 22 in the first half but Concordia rallied to take a 53-52 lead with 8:47 left. That lead lasted just eight seconds, however, as sophomore forward Heather Strese scored to put the Dragons back in front for good.

MSUM led 56-55 with 7:10 left but pulled away with a 17-5 run to take a 73-60 lead with two minutes left. Thomforde and sophomore guard Meghan Roerich led the way with six and five points, respectively, while Zabel had four. From there, MSUM's lead never dropped out of double digits.

MSUM opened on a 21-2 run -- which included 14 straight points by the Dragons to start the game -- over the first five minutes which saw four Dragons score points: sophomore forward Savanna Handevidt (seven), Thomforde and Megan Strese (five each) and Zabel (four). MSUM opened 6-of-9 (66.7 percent) from the field

It wasn't just the offense that sparked the MSUM start, as the Dragon defense was stout. Concordia shot only 2-of-16 (12.5 percent) over the first eight minutes.

The Dragon lead grew to 30-8 with 9:36 left in the half after a pair of Megan Strese foul shots. The Golden Bears responded with a 16-3 run to climb within 33-24 with four minutes left in the first half.

MSUM pushed the lead back to double digits as the Dragons took a 41-29 lead into halftime. Thomforde had 16 points for MSUM in the opening half -- on 5-of-5 shooting -- while Strese had 12 points and eight rebounds.

MSUM shot 47.8 percent (11-of-23) in the first half, compared to 31.4 percent (11-of-35) for the Golden Bears. MSUM had a 24-15 edge in rebounds.

In the second half, Concordia whittled away at the lead before taking its first -- and only -- lead of the game at 53-52. MSUM outscored the Golden Bears 28-16 over the final eight minutes.

Roehrich and redshirt freshman guard Morgan Banasik had nine points each for MSUM.  Banasik had three assists.

MSUM wraps up the weekend against No. 17-ranked Minnesota State, Mankato on Saturday. Game time is 4 p.m. at Alex Nemzek Fieldhouse.

Steve d'Eustachio Stat of the Game: Tonight ended a three-game home losing streak to the Golden Bears. Prior to tonight, the last time the Dragons beat Concordia St. Paul in Moorhead was a 73-62 decision on Jan. 26, 2008. Current Dragon assistant coach Allison Swenson scored a game-high 22 points and pulled down eight rebounds in the victory.