SIOUX FALLS, S.D.—The Minnesota State University Moorhead women's basketball team held a two-point halftime lead but a strong second half by No. 13 Sioux Falls helped the Cougars down the Dragons 66-46 in action Saturday in Sioux Falls, S.D.
MSUM falls to 16-9 overall and 11-7 in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. Sioux Falls improves to 22-3 overall and 15-3 in the NSIC.
The Dragons shot 26.9 percent (14-of-52) from the field and 25 percent (4-of-16) from three compared to 42.6 percent (23-of-54) from the field and 50 percent (8-of-16) from beyond the arc for the Cougars.
Sophomore center
Peyton Boom and senior forward
Madi Green led the Dragons with 10 points each. Senior forward
Megan Hintz scored six points and led MSUM on the glass with 10 rebounds. Junior guard
Sarah Jacobson scored five points, grabbed six rebounds, and dished out a team-high three assists.
The first two quarters stayed tightly contested. Sioux Falls held a 13-11 lead after one quarter. A layup by Hintz with 1:04 remaining in the second quarter gave the Dragons their first lead since the 5:46 mark in the first quarter when they led 5-4. The Dragons headed into the locker room up 26-24 at halftime.
In the third quarter, the Cougars came out hot, opening with a 9-0 scoring run. The Sioux Falls scoring run gave the Cougars the momentum to secure the lead for the remainder of the game. A Cougar layup with 30 seconds remaining in the third quarter gave Sioux Falls a 45-35 lead heading into the fourth.
The Cougars extended the lead in the fourth quarter and outscored the Dragons 42-20 in the second half.
MSUM will be on the road again next week. The Dragons travel to St. Cloud, Minn., to take on St. Cloud State on Feb. 14 at 5:30 p.m. The next day, the Dragons head to Duluth, Minn., to take on first-place Minnesota Duluth at 3:30 p.m.
Steve d'Eustachio Stat of the Game: The 46 points were the fewest points scored since a 56-45 loss in the NCAA playoffs in Searcy, Ark. Mar. 10, 2017. It was also the fewest in an NSIC game since losing 60-39 to Northern State in Moorhead Dec. 20, 2014.
