MOORHEAD, Minn. -- Minnesota State Moorhead women's basketball used hard-nosed defense and balanced offense to cruise by the University of Jamestown on Saturday evening. The Dragons clamped the Jimmies 76-49 behind a near triple-double from sophomore
Ashton Safranski.
Jamestown would open the contest with a 9-6 advantage in the first quarter as the Dragons looked to settle in. An and-one from
Karlee Fisher enlivened the Dragons, knotting the count at nine points each. The Dragons would keep the contest tied at 14 points following four straight points from
Grace Massaquoi. However, Jamestown would lead 22-21 after one quarter following a late jumper from
Emily Srejma. The Jimmies connected on 66.6 percent of their field goal attempts in the first 10 minutes.
Moorhead would open the second quarter with a renewed sense of energy (specifically on defense), led by
Ashton Safranski. The sophomore suffered an eye injury at UMary on December 13, which forced Safranski to dawn some unorthodox eyewear. Safranski was utilizing protective eyewear from a local hardware store, normally used when cutting lumber. In turn, the goggle-clad Safranski and
Aubrey Morrison would lay the wood defensively, giving the Jamestown guards fits. Thanks to the defense, MSUM would jump out to a nine-point lead following baskets from Safranski, Morrison and Massaquoi. Fisher would get in on the fun by scoring five straight for the Dragons, including a long range bucket. A low post score from
Terryn Johnson would have Moorhead up by 14 points with less than four minutes to play.
By the end of the second quarter, Moorhead held a 45-28 lead, outscoring the Jimmies 24-6 in the second period. What was most impressive is the fact that all six of Jamestown's points came at the foul line. MSUM would hold the Jimmies without a field goal in the second period to help take the commanding lead.
Moorhead would begin the third frame on an 8-0 run, capped by a successful and-one from Safranski. Following the spurt, MSUM led by 25 points, 53-28. Jamestown would again be held without a field goal for the first four minutes of action. In total, MSUM held the Jimmies without a made basket for over 15 minutes of game action. After three quarters, Moorhead led 65-37 with the Dragons leading by as many as 30 points in the period.
Throughout the fourth quarter, Moorhead would not let their lead dip below 24 points as the Dragons secured a 76-49 victory. Safranski dazzled all evening, scoring 14 points with seven rebounds, seven assists and a pair of steals. Massaquoi was dominant again, leading all scorers with 17 points along with seven boards. Fisher scored 15 points for the Dragons while Morrison added 12. Johnson would score nine points with six rebounds and a blocked shot for Moorhead.
Top Dragons
Steve d'Eustchio's Stat of the Game
Tonight marked the first time the Dragons won their final two games consecutively in a calendar year since winning 72-62 at Minot St. Dec. 14, 2019, then claiming a 77-58 victory at Northern St. seven nights later.
Up Next
MSUM (6-5, 3-4 NSIC) gets back to action in 2026 as they look towards a road matchup with Minnesota Crookston on Saturday, January 3 at 3 p.m.
