MOORHEAD, Minn. (MSUM Athletics) – A 13-2 run in the fourth quarter helped the Minnesota State University Moorhead women’s basketball team top Northern State, 63-51 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference action Friday night in Moorhead, Minn. The win clinched a berth in the upcoming NSIC/Sanford Health Tournament for the Dragons.
MSUM has won three in a row and improved to 7-4 overall and 6-3 in the NSIC North. Northern State fell to 4-9 overall and 3-8 in the north.
Inside the Numbers
Junior forward Peyton Boom led MSUM with 15 points while senior guard Sarah Jacobson had 11. Junior guard Natalie Steichen had nine, hitting 3-of-4 from downtown. Junior center Nicole Brown had eight points and a team-best nine rebounds.
Boom and sophomore guard Mariah McKeever had three assists each while McKeever had four steals.
Owning the Glass
MSUM had a 44-30 edge in rebounds, including a commanding 15-6 edge on the offensive glass. The Dragons had a 10-3 edge in second-chance points.
Fourth-Quarter Flurry
MSUM held a 47-44 lead after a pair of Northern foul shots but went on the decisive 13-2 run to take control of the game and build a 60-46 lead. Junior guard Nicole Herbranson hit a pair of three-pointers during that crucial run while Brown had four points and Steichen had a three. MSUM’s lead never fell out of double digits the rest of the way.
First Half Battle
MSUM led by as many as nine in the first half but a cold-shooting second quarter allowed the Wolves to cut the gap to two at halftime.
Freshman guard Karley Motschenbacher made a layup in the first to give MSUM an 18-10 lead. After thes Wolves battled to take the lead at 21-20, the Dragons scored eight points in a row, capped by a three-pointer from freshman guard Lydia Hay, to take a 28-21 lead. the Wolves fought back to within 30-28 at halftime.
The Dragons hit just 4-of-16 field goal attempts in the second quarter and shot 35.5 percent (11-of-31) in the first half. The Wolves shot 41.4 percent (12-of-29). Boom had nine first half poitns for MSUM while Jacobson had eight.
Up Next
MSUM and Northern State rematch on Saturday at 2 p.m. Seniors Brooklyn Liegel and Sarah Jacobson will be honored that day.
