SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – A dominant 36-point performance by junior forward Heather Strese sparked the Minnesota State University Moorhead women's basketball team to a 93-84 win over Winona State in the quarterfinals of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference/Sanford Health tournament on Saturday night at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D.

MSUM (17-11) will face NSIC regular season champion Wayne State in the semifinals at 5:30 p.m. on Monday in Sioux Falls.  It is MSUM's first trip to the conference tournament semifinals since 2008. The Dragons are seeking their first tournament title.

Northern State and Minnesota State, Mankato will play in the other semifinal at noon. Winona State ended the year at 20-8.
Strese finished with 36 points, shattering her previous career-high of 24, and added 13 rebounds for her sixth double-double of 2014-15 season. Strese finished 13-of-18 from the field, including 6-of-7 from three-point range.  It is the highest point output by a Dragon women's player this season.

Junior guard Meghan Roehrich had 23 points and seven rebounds, while redshirt freshman Drew Sannes added 11 points and two blocks. Junior forward Savanna Handevidt added 10 points and six rebounds.

MSUM shot 51.7 percent (31-of-60) for the game, including a torrid 66.7 percent (10-of-15) from three-point range. Winona State shot 44.1 percent (26-of-59). The Dragons owned the glass with a 42-23 edge in rebounds.

The Dragons led almost the whole game, trailing for just 38 seconds in the first half when Winona State took a 5-4 lead at the 16:42. MSUM answered with an 18-7 run over the next six minutes to surge into a 22-12 lead. Strese sparked the run with 10 points while Handevidt and freshman forward Cassidy Thorson each buried threes.

Winona State cut the lead to four later in the half but the Dragons maintained the advantage and took a 39-32 lead into halftime.
Strese had 20 first-half points for MSUM while Roehrich had nine. MSUM shot 46.9 percent (15-of-32) in the first half compared to 32.1 percent (9-of-28) for the Warriors.

Winona State climbed within 43-42 three minutes into the second half but the Dragons scored eight points in a row to push the lead to 51-42 with 15:11 left. Strese hit a pair of three-pointers during that run.

MSUM's biggest lead of the night came with 4:38 left when Roehrich converted a layup to make it 81-69. Winona State got no closer than nine the rest of the way.

Freshman guard Mallie Doucette led MSUM with four assists while Roehrich and sophomore guard Natalie Van Wyhe had three each.

MSUM's game against Wayne State begins at 5:30 p.m. on Monday.
 
Steve d'Eustachio Stat of the Game: Heather Strese had 20 points and 10 rebounds Wednesday and 36/13 tonight giving her back-to-back double-doubles in the playoffs for the first time since Allison Swenson had 18/11 in the Dragons' 75-68 victory on Feb. 28, 2007 over Upper Iowa University and 14/11 on Mar. 3 in a 71-55 win over Northern St. in St. Paul. That win over Northern St. was the last time the Dragons registered an NSIC neutral site playoff win.