Huskies run ends in semifinal round of NSIC Tournament

Monday, March 4

Sioux Falls, SD

2:30 p.m.

St. Cloud State

19-10

University of Minnesota Duluth

22-6

St. Cloud State

Minnesota Duluth

Nikki Kilboten shoots a free throw in the midst of the Huskies third quarter run against Duluth.

Photo by: Kelsey Whaley

3/4/2019 4:35:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – It was the Cinderella story of the winter season: the St. Cloud State University women's basketball team, picked to finished 11^th overall in the preseason Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) poll, advancing to the semifinal round of the conference tournament. Sadly, the run came to an end for St. Cloud State Monday afternoon, as the team fell to the University of Minnesota-Duluth 68-50 in the semifinal of the NSIC/Sanford Health Tournament.

The Huskies knew coming in it would be one of the toughest tests of the 2018-19 season, taking on the Bulldogs and their top ranked defense in the NSIC. In the opening minutes, Minnesota-Duluth proved how good its defense can be, as it held St. Cloud State's offense to zero points through the first four minutes and put the Huskies in a 9-0 hole early in the game.

St. Cloud State tried to recover but was never able to overcome the initial gap. Fueled by baskets from underclassman Brehna Evans (De Pere, Wis. / West De Pere), Nikki Kilboten (Eau Claire, Wis. / North), Katrina Theis (Maple Grove, Minn. / Maple Grove) and Erin Navratil (Albany, Minn. / Albany), the Huskies managed to cut the lead to the Bulldogs lead to six midway through the third quarter, as they trailed 35-29 after a three-pointer from Evans. In the end, the run in the third wasn't enough, and St. Cloud State couldn't catch Minnesota-Duluth, falling by a score of 68-50.

There was plenty for the Huskies to hang their hats on in the game, as their defense, primarily Evans and Mackenzie Uter (Howard Lake, MInn. / Howard Lake-Waverly-Winstead), held the Bulldogs top scorer Sammy Kozlowski to a season-low nine points in the semifinal game and in general only allowed one two Minnesota-Duluth student-athletes to score in double-digits. St. Cloud State's defense also held the Bulldogs to under 50 percent shooting for the first time this tournament and nearly matched Minnesota-Duluth rebound for rebound in the semifinal game.

The future is bright for the Huskies, as two underclassman led the way in terms of scoring and rebounding. Kilboten and Evans each scored 10 points apiece, while Kilboten added a team-leading seven rebounds.

With the loss, St. Cloud State closes the season with a 19-10 record and a 14-8 mark in NSIC play. The Huskies advanced past the quarterfinal round of the NSIC/Sanford Health Tournament for the first time in 2008-09 after earning the No. 4 seed in the North Division.