MOORHEAD, Minn. – A stout defensive effort and a big game from junior forward Peyton Boom helped the Minnesota State University Moorhead women's basketball team earn a 51-39 win over No. 20-ranked St. Cloud State on Friday night at Nemzek Fieldhouse in Moorhead.
 
MSUM improved to 4-6 overall and 3-3 in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference while St. Cloud State, which saw a seven-game winning streak end, fell to 7-2 overall and 5-1 in the NSIC.
 
The Dragons held St. Cloud State to a season-low 39 points and 31.4 percent (16-of-51) from the field in the game.
 
Boom had a season-high 20 points on 10-of-14 shooting. She added seven rebounds. Junior guard Natalie Steichen led with eight rebounds while freshman guard Natalie Jens had four assists.
 
The Dragons trailed 26-25 at halftime.  Boom was the catalyst for MSUM in the first half, scoring 14 points on 7-of-9 shooting. Sophomore guard Mariah McKeever added seven.
 
MSUM outscored SCSU 17-2 in the third quarter, on its way to a 42-28 lead. Junior forward Shyanne Loiland had five points during that quarter while Steichen and Boom had four each. MSUM shot 7-of-12 in the third quarter compared to 1-of-11 for the Huskies. SCSU went without a point for more than nine minutes.
 
A boom basketball with 9:10 left gave the Dragons their largest lead at 44-28, and the lead never dropped below 10 the rest of the way.
 
McKeever, Loiland and senior guard Aliyah Miller all had seven points for MSUM.
 
The Dragons host Minnesota Duluth at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday to close out the weekend.
 
Steve d'Eustachio Stat of the Game
Tonight was the first time the Dragons entered a game 3-6 and won, since clobbering Minnesota Crookston 103-75 in Moorhead on Dec. 29, 2002.