Lucky #7: Huskies survive for 68-60 win at Northern State

Friday, January 24

Aberdeen, SD

5:30 p.m.

St. Cloud State

13-4,10-3NSIC

Northern State University

11-8,7-5NSIC

St. Cloud St.

Northern St.

Nikki Kilboten led the way with 18 points for the Huskies Friday evening.

Photo by: Kylie Macziewski

1/24/2020 9:23:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

ABERDEEN, S.D. – According to scholars and leprechauns, seven is the luckiest number in existence. The St. Cloud State University women's basketball team is inclined to agree.

The Huskies earned their seventh consecutive win over a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) foe Friday evening, using all the luck No.7. would bring them. St. Cloud State used a big fourth quarter to rise to a 68-60 win over Northern State, improving its overall record to 13-4 with a 10-3 mark in NSIC play.

The Huskies were hot to open the game, as they jumped out to a big 27-15 lead at the end of the first quarter. The team's offensive domination continued well into the second half, as St. Cloud State led by as many as 18 points in the second quarter and held a 35-17 lead with 4:21 remaining in the half. However, the Wolves slowly but surely proved why they are one of the top teams in the NSIC North Division this season, as they cut the Huskies to just nine points. Still, St. Cloud State walked into the locker room at halftime with a 35-26 advantage over Northern State, thanks to eight point scoring performances from Kilboten and Madelin Dammann (Waconia, Minn. / Waconia).

A third quarter scoring drought nearly cost the Huskies the game, as the Wolves used a 10-0 run to cut the lead to 46-44 with 15 second remaining in the quarter. A buzzer-beater three-pointer by Wortz boosted St. Cloud State's lead back to two possessions and truly set the tone for the fourth and final quarter, as she gave the Huskies a 49-44 lead at the end of 30 minutes of play.

Wortz' three-pointer set the tone for a big scoring quarter from St. Cloud State, as the team wasted no time extended its lead back to double-digits. The Huskies scored two quick baskets to open the fourth to take a 54-44 lead, and while the Wolves would threatened, they would never get closer than nine points, as St. Cloud State held off Northern State's last minute flurry for a nice 68-60 win.

Kilboten ended as the game's leading scorer, tallying 18 points on 9-13 shooting with six rebounds, three assists, a block and a steal in the game. Evans and Wortz also scored in double-digits, as they scored 16 and 12 points respectively.

With the win, the Huskies overall record improves to 13-4 and they are now 10-3 in NSIC play. St. Cloud State will face another tough NSIC opponent on Saturday, as the team travels to take on MSU-Moorhead at 3:30 p.m. in Moorhead, Minnesota.