MOORHEAD, Minn. -- Despite a career-high 30 points from junior forward
Peyton Boom, the Minnesota State University Moorhead women's basketball team came up just short at Southwest Minnesota State on Wednesday, losing 71-67 to the Mustangs in the opening round of the NSIC/Sanford Health Tournament in Marshall, Minn.
MSUM finished at 9-14 while SMSU improved to 13-12.
Boom finished with 30 points on 13-of-28 shooting. She also added 12 rebounds for her seventh double-double of 2021-22.
Sophomore guard
Mariah McKeever had 15 points and six rebounds. Junior forward
Shyanne Loiland had 11 rebounds while senior guard
Natalie Steichen, playing in her final game as a Dragon, had six assists.
MSUM had a 40-33 edge in rebounds, but the big difference was from the three-point line. SMSU shot 12-of-29 from three while MSUM Shot 6-of-16.
The game was close the whole way with the largest lead for either team being seven points. There were eight lead changes.
A three-pointer by
Shyanne Loiland put MSUM up 38-32 with 1:32 left in the first half. SMSU scored the final six points of the half to tie the game at 38-38.
SMSU was able to build a 65-58 lead with 4:26 left on a three-pointer by Abuk Akoi. The Dragons cut that lead to four on a three from McKeever, but Jenna Borchers hit a three-pointer to push the lead to 68-61 with 2:47 left.
The Dragons weren't through. Boom hit a pair of free throws with 2:16 left to make it 68-63, and moments later, freshman guard
Natalie Jens buried a three with 1:$1 left to cut the lead to 68-66.
SMSU held a 70-66 lead; senior
Nicole Herbranson hit 1-of-2 foul shots to make it 70-67 with 52 seconds left.
The Dragons fouled and SMSU missed a pair of free throws, giving the Dragons a shot at the tie. The three-pointer wouldn't fall, and SMSU hit 1-of-2 free throws to ice the win.
Boom had 16 first-half points while McKeever had 10. The Dragons shot 48.3 percent in the first half (14-of-29) but shot only 35.2 percent (12-of-34) in the second half.
Jens had eight points for MSUM.
