MOORHEAD, Minn. (MSUM Athletics) – The Minnesota State University Moorhead women’s basketball team dropped a 66-48 contest to Northern State in the home and Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference opener for the Dragons on Tuesday in Moorhead, Minn.
MSUM fell to 0-3 overall and 0-1 in the NSIC while Northern State improved to 3-1 overall and 1-0 in the league.
Sophomore guard Mariah McKeever and freshman guard Natalie Jens each had 11 points for MSUM. Junior forward Peyton Boom had eight points.
Freshman forward Paige Thompson had eight rebounds for MSUM. Junior guard Natalie Steichen had three assists and three steals.
MSUM shot just 32.7 percent (18-of-55) for the game and went 0-for-13 from three-point range. The Dragons also committed 19 turnovers.
MSUM was down five after one quarter but came back to take a 24-22 lead on a three-point play from McKeever which capped off a 7-0 run with 8:03 left in the second.
A layup by senior forward Emma Thuringer put MSUM up 28-24 at the 4:35 mark of the second quarter, which was MSUM’s largest lead. But the Dragons wouldn’t score again the rest of the half as the Wolves ended on a 7-0 run to take a 31-28 lead into halftime.
MSUM led 36-35 after a Jens basket with 6:51 left in the third, but the Wolves closed the quarter on a 15-1 run to take a 50-37 lead into the final quarter.
The Dragons didn’t get closer than 11 in the final quarter. They hit just 6-of-28 field goal attempts (21.4 percent) in the second half.
MSUM will compete at the Dacotah Bank Classic on Friday and Saturday in Aberdeen, S.D. The Dragons will open with Michigan Tech at 2 p.m. on Friday.
Game Recap: Women’s Basketball | 11/23/2021 8:15:00 PM | Tom Berg
