ABERDEEN, S.D. – MSU Moorhead women's basketball endured a tough final frame on Thursday evening in NSIC action. The Dragons fell to Northern State, 69-60.
MSUM would come out firing on both ends of the floor as
Karlee Fisher buried a pair of three-pointers in the first four minutes. That, coupled with a triple from
Abby Berge, helped MSUM to an 11-8 lead early. The teams would trade punches thereafter as a basket from
Caylin Kelly would keep the Dragons in front, 19-18. Berge would convert on an and-one late in the period to give MSUM a 22-18 lead after 10 minutes.
A triple from
Ashton Safranski would have the Dragons up three points to begin the second quarter. Northern State would respond with an 11-0 run from there to take a 33-25 lead with under five minutes to go in the half. A turnaround hook shot from Kelly snapped the Dragon dry spell. The Wolves would lead by 12 points with under two to go before the Dragons closed the half with three straight baskets. All three field goals came thanks to
Terryn Johnson.
The Wolves would lead 41-35 at the break with Johnson scoring 10 points for the Dragons. Berge added eight points as Safranski scored five with three steals. The primary difference was Northern State would command the glass, holding a plus-eight rebound margin. NSU would grab six offensive rebounds in the half to maximize possession on MSUM.
It was the Dragons who came out of the locker room with a renewed sense of grit and grind. MSUM used a 7-2 run, spearheaded by Berge, to eventually regain the lead, 49-47. Berge would score eight points within the first five minutes of the third quarter. However, Northern State would answer back, closing the frame on an 8-1 run. The Wolves led 57-52 with a quarter to play as Berge had 18 points for MSUM.
To open the final frame, Johnson would score a pair of baskets to bring the Dragons back within one point, 57-56. Both squads would cool off from there as Northern State led 61-56 with just over five minutes to play in the period.
Ultimately, the Dragons would be held scoreless for over eight minutes down the stretch. The inability to score proved costly, despite NSU struggling as well. Northern State would win 69-60 with Berge leading the way with 20 points and eight rebounds. Johnson had another double-double, her third straight, scoring 15 points with 10 rebounds.
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Up Next
The Dragons (9-12, 7-8 NSIC) return to Nemzek Fieldhouse on Saturday for a 5:30 p.m. tilt against St. Cloud State.
