ST. PAUL, Minn. – A resilient effort helped Minnesota State Moorhead women's basketball to victory in NSIC action on Friday night. The Dragons trailed by as many as 12 points in the second half, but came back to defeat Concordia-St. Paul in overtime, 72-70.
Both teams would spend the first quarter feeling each other out on offense with the Golden Bears holding a narrow 9-7 advantage. Both teams did a good job defensively, limiting their opponent to one possession.
Caylin Kelly would guide the Dragons in the early stages, scoring five of MSUM's seven points, including a three-pointer. Moorhead would gain an 11-9 advantage thanks to a timely three from
Aubrey Morrison.
Late in the period, three-pointers from
Ashton Safranski and Morrison would keep the Dragons up three, 19-16. The Golden Bears would answer, leading 20-19 after 10 minutes of play. Morrison and Kelly each scored six points for MSUM in the frame with the Dragons connecting on four of five three-point attempts. To open the second quarter, Concordia-St. Paul would hit on an 8-1 run to lead, 28-20.
The Golden Bears would lead by nine points before the Dragons responded.
Ayelishka Teko-Folly started a 6-0 run that was capped by Morrison. Moorhead's burst helped bring them to within three points as halftime neared. Concordia-St. Paul would lead 37-32 at the intermission with
Terryn Johnson scoring nine points for Moorhead. Kelly and Morrison each added eight points. The trio shot an effective 69.2 percent (9-13), but the Dragons shot 36.7 percent as a team overall.
It was the Golden Bears who again began the quarter strong, pushing their lead back to eight points. Moorhead would pull back within three points after a triple from
Abby Berge dropped in. The Golden Bears would work their lead back to nine points late in the frame. After three quarters, Concordia-St. Paul led 56-46 with Johnson scoring 11 points.
A five-point flurry from Berge helped enliven the Dragons in the fourth quarter. The junior converted on two free throws before collecting a successful and-one. Berge's offensive effort brought Moorhead back within five points, 56-51. While CSP would get their back to nine points, MSUM would respond again, cutting the deficit to two points following a lay-in from Morrison.
Karlee Fisher would tie the game at 60 points with less than five minutes to play.
Kelly would notch a turnaround basket with under two to play to give MSUM their first lead since the opening quarter. While the Golden Bears would respond with a three on their next possession, the Dragons had an answer in
Grace Massaquoi. The junior drove right with 15 seconds to play, scoring on a nifty reverse lay-up. A tremendous defensive effort from Safranski stalled CSP's last offensive possession in regulation. Moorhead would force overtime with the teams tied at 64 points.
The teams would continue to trade baskets into the extra session, remaining tied at 68 points. A pull-up from Fisher provided Moorhead a 70-68 lead with 32 seconds remaining. After Concordia-St. Paul evened the count once more, it was Massaquoi who again provided the clutch basket. Massaquoi pulled up and drained a jumper with four seconds to play, putting MSUM up 72-70. Moorhead would force a timely turnover on the ensuing Golden Bear possession, solidifying the resilient overtime victory. Four Dragons scored in double figures, led by 15 points from Kelly. The Dragons forced 19 turnovers which balanced out Moorhead's 33.8 percent shooting clip for the game.
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Up Next
MSUM (8-5, 5-4 NSIC) takes on Winona State tomorrow beginning at 5:30 p.m.
