Box Score
CROOKSTON, Minn. – The Minnesota State University Moorhead women's basketball team led by three with 2:47 remaining, but Minnesota Crookston scored the final five points to secure a 65-63 win over the Dragons in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference action Saturday night in Crookston, Minn.
MSUM fell to 9-7 overall and 5-7 in the NSIC with the loss, while Minnesota Crookston improved to 7-9 overall and 4-8 in the league.
The Dragons had four players in double figures, led by senior forward
Morgan Zabel with 18 points. Senior forward
Megan Strese had 15 points and a game-high nine rebounds, while senior guard
Haley Thomforde had 14 points while sophomore guard
Meghan Roehrich had 11 points. Zabel added seven rebounds and four assists.
MSUM shot 37.3 percent (22-of-59) from the field, compared to 40.7 percent (24-of-59) for the Golden Eagles. The Dragons won the rebounding battle (41-35) but committed 19 turnovers, compared to 15 for UMC.
The Dragons trailed by as many as 12 in the second half and were down 55-47 with 7:58 left before going on a 16-5 run over the next five minutes to take a 63-60 lead.
Megan Strese scored six points during that run while Roehrich and Zabel had five points each.
Strese hit a pair of free throws with 2:47 left to give the Dragons a 63-60 lead. The Golden Eagles tied the game at 63-63 with 1:15 left. MSUM had three shots to regain the lead on its next possession but was unable to convert any of them.
The Golden Eagles took a 65-63 lead with 30 seconds left. MSUM missed a three-pointer to take the lead with 15 seconds left, and then had three shots to tie – and missed all three, leaving them two points short.
MSUM opened the game on a 14-7 run over the first 6:41.Thomforde led the way with five points while Zabel had four and sophomore forward
Savanna Handevidt drained a three.
The Golden Eagles came back to take a 26-19 lead with 4:07 left in the half, but MSUM closed the half on an 11-4 to tie the game at 30-30 at halftime. Thomforde and Zabel each had nine points for MSUM in the first half while Strese had five.
Crookston went on a 14-2 run over the first 5:27 to stretch the lead to 44-32, and from there, MSUM chipped away at the deficit and eventually gained the lead in the final three minutes.
Handevidt added five points and seven rebounds for MSUM, while Strese and redshirt freshman
Morgan Banasik each had two steals.
The Dragons are back in action on Jan. 24 at Minnesota Duluth for a 6 p.m. game.
Steve d'Eustachio Stat of the Game: Tonight was the first time the Dragons lost to Minnesota-Crookston in Crookston, since dropping a 69-56 decision on Jan. 6, 2004.
