OLATHE, Kan. – Minnesota State University Moorhead (0-1) fell to Harding (1-0), 62-54 on Saturday night, in its 2016-17 regular season opener in Olathe, Kan.. Junior forward
Drew Sannes led the Dragons with 17 points.
How it happened…
Harding ended the first quarter on a 9-0 run building a 20-11 lead heading into the second quarter. The Dragons came out of the break with a 16-5 run grabbing its first lead of the game, 27-25. MSUM entered halftime down 32-30. Sannes led the way in the first half with 12 points for the Dragons, senior guard
Natalie Van Wyhe added eight points. MSUM downed seven three pointers in the first half.
MSUM would only cut the deficit to three points in the second half and couldn't manage to pull any closer as the Bisons ended the game 62-54. Junior guard
Cassidy Thorson had a big second half scoring 12 points off 4-for-5 from the three-point line. Sannes added five in the second half, while sophomore guard
Jacky Volkert had four points.
The Dragons ended the game with 14 assists to 12 turnovers, compared to Harding's 15 assists to 15 turnovers. MSUM finished the game 20-of-57 (35.1 percent) from the field, while Harding finished 26-of-55 from the field (47.3 percent).
Impact Performances…
Sannes drove the offense for the Dragons scoring 17 points off 7-of-16 from the field, including 3-of-7 from three-point land. She pulled down a team-high nine rebounds. The junior also had a team-high three blocks and two assists.
Thorson had a big second half for the Dragons. She scored 15 points on the evening, with 12 of those coming in the second half. Thorson shot 62.5 percent from beyond the arc, and had one steal and one block.
Van Wyhe totaled 32 minutes on the court and scored nine points off 3-of-5 from the field. She was a perfect 2-of-2 from the three-point line, had a team-high five assists and a team-high three steals.
Volkert finished the game with eight points, eight rebounds, three assists and two steals. She played a game-high 34 minutes for MSUM.
Up Next…
The Dragons take flight to Quincy, Ill. to participate in the Quincy Women's Basketball Holiday Classic. MSUM plays Quincy on Friday, Nov. 18. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.
