WSU drops heartbreaker to Concordia, beats MSUM

Adam Stanek
WINONAN

  

 

Fred Schulze/WINONAN

WSU's Jenny Steffen drives to the basket past Minnesota State-Moorhead's Shelly Soule during the Warriors' 78-63 NSIC win over the visiting Dragons Saturday at McCown Gymnasium.

 
The Winona State University women’s basketball team faced some of its toughest competition of the season last weekend when it hosted Concordia-St. Paul and Minnesota State-Moorhead.
Although WSU was a basket away from a sweep, the Warriors split the home contests.
Friday was Think Pink night at McCown Gymnasium, and the pink theme was meant to raise breast cancer awareness.
The Warriors did a little more than just raise awareness for breast cancer, they also raised awareness for their own talent.
The Golden Bears were the fifth-ranked team in the country and the Warriors proved that they could hang with them.
In the first half, WSU was able to dominate from the 3-point line and the free-throw stripe, as they hit 7 of 10 from the line and 5 of 9 from 3-point range. Kelsey Homewood recorded 12 first-half points, and the Warriors took a 36-32 halftime lead.
However, in the second half, the Warriors had no answer for Concordia’s Amanda Behnke.
Behnke’s 6-foot-2 presence caused matchup problems for WSU, as she went on to score 29 points on 12-of-16 shooting to go with nine rebounds.
Also, the Warriors’ free-throw shooting went sour, as they shot just 13 of 19.
WSU still had a great shot at winning, as they gained a four-point lead with less than a minute left.
In the late stages of the game, Behnke made a shot to make the score 70-68.
The Warriors had a chance to answer, but they were unable to convert on their next possession, giving the Golden Bears a chance to tie or take the lead.
With just under ten seconds to go, CSP’s Katie LaViolette knocked down a shot while being fouled.
She went on to make the free throw and give the Golden Bears a 71-70 lead.
WSU had a couple of chances at the end of the game, but Natalie Gigler air-balled a 3-point shot and Anderson missed the put-back.
“The reason we lost is that we missed nine free throws during the game,” WSU coach Scott Ballard said. “We played well on both ends, and unfortunately we didn’t take advantage of the free-throw shooting like we should.”
The Warriors had four players score in double-figures, with Homewood leading all scorers with 15 points.
Anderson and Jenny Steffen each added 12.
Amanda Reimer had an overall solid night, scoring 11 points to go with six rebounds, five assists and two steals.
With a disappointing loss Friday night, the Warriors needed to rebound on Saturday night against the team that had just passed them for fourth place in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, MSUM.
The last time the two teams met, it took a double-overtime thriller for the Warriors to come out victorious in the end.
However, this matchup would need no overtime.
WSU started off dominantly, as a great shooting performance by Ana Wurtz in the first half got the Warriors rolling.
The Warriors, who shot 52 percent from the field and went 7 for 11 from beyond the arc, took a 39-29 lead into the half.
The lead didn’t last long.
After several turnovers and some sloppy play by the Warriors, the Dragons were able to eventually narrow the WSU lead to two points.
Two huge second-half factors helped WSU earn the victory: the free-throw shooting of Anderson, and the great defensive efforts of Bonnie Bjorke.
Within about a six-minute span in the second half, Bjorke tallied four rebounds, two steals, two blocked shots, and a couple of saves on defense that won’t show up in a box score.
Bjorke almost single-handedly shut down Moorhead’s offense late in the second half.
“When Bonnie comes in, Bonnie gives us a bigger, tougher person,” Ballard said. “It was crucial at that time because it ended their run. Bonnie was a big factor at that time in the game.”
Anderson’s penetration could not be stopped, and the Dragons were forced to foul after WSU got a double-digit lead back.
Anderson was able to bury 10 of 12 from the charity stripe, leading the Warriors to an impressive 78-63 victory.
Anderson led all scorers with 19 points on 4-of-6 shooting and dished out five assists.
Reimer scored 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the field and added nine rebounds and four assists.
WSU (19-8, 9-7) will close out the regular season on the road against Minnesota-Crookston and Bemidji State.
Even though BSU defeated the Warriors at WSU earlier in the season, Ballard is confident about this weekend’s game.
“Yes, we can beat them,” Ballard said. “We’ve beaten Bemidji there twice in the last three years, and the one loss came at the buzzer.”
If WSU can sweep BSU and Crookston this weekend, it would give the Warriors more than 20 wins on the year and allow them to host a first-round NSIC tournament game for the first time in program history.