Huskies pluck Peacocks for 73-52 win

Friday, January 31

Fayette, IA

5:30 p.m.

St. Cloud State

15-4,12-3NSIC

Upper Iowa University

3-18,2-12NSIC

St. Cloud St.

Upper Iowa

Tori Wortz tallied 20+ points for the third time this season, leading the Huskies to victory over Upper Iowa.

Photo by: Kylie Macziewski

1/31/2020 8:47:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

FAYETTE, IOWA – The saying goes that No. 9 feels mighty fine.

The St. Cloud State University women's basketball team would certainly agree.

The Huskies entered Friday evening's Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) match up with the University of Upper Iowa riding an impressive eight-game win streak, winning every game they played during the month of January to that point. With one game remaining in the month, St. Cloud State was looking to do something it hasn't done in 10+ years: be perfect. Thanks to a Friday night win, the Huskies can make that claim, as they soundly defeated the Peacocks 73-52 to extend their win streak to nine-straight games.

For maybe the first time all season, St. Cloud State entered Friday's game as the clear favorite to win with Upper Iowa ranking toward the bottom of the NSIC overall and Divisional rankings. That being said, the Huskies wasted no time showing just how dominant they could be, as they out to a 21-4 lead over the Peacocks at the end of the first quarter. Again, St. Cloud State was fueled by a well-balanced attack, as four of the five starters scores at least one basket in the opening 10 minutes of play. Tori Wortz (Hutchison, Minn. / Hutchinson) was on fire in the first quarter, scoring 10 points in the opening 10 minutes.

St. Cloud State maintained its 17 point lead for the remainder of the night, as the team cruised to a 41-20 lead at the half, again fueled by the scoring prowess of Wortz. The junior guard accounted for 13 of the Huskies 41 first half points, while seven of her teammates scored at least one basket to round out the offensive threat.

St. Cloud State's defense was the real story of the first half, as the team held Upper Iowa to .333 clip from the floor, including a 1-11 mark from three-point range, the lowest any opponent has shot against the Huskies all season. More impressive? St. Cloud State forced six Peacock turnovers and recorded four steals, including three from senior guard Madelin Dammann (Waconia, Minn. / Waconia).

With a 21 point advantage, it would have been easy for the Huskies to cruise through the remaining 20 minutes, but they continued to score and put pressure on Upper Iowa. In the third quarter, St. Cloud State outscored the Peacocks 17-13, pushing the team's lead to 58-33 after 30 minutes of play. At that point, the victory was all but wrapped up for the Huskies, as they scored 13 points in the fourth and final quarter to secure the 73-52 win over Upper Iowa.

Wortz once again impressed for St. Cloud State, as she led the way by scoring a team and game-leading 22 points in 23 minutes of play. Junior forward Nikki Kilboten (Eau Claire, Wis. / North) was also a huge contributor for the Huskies, as she ended the night with 15 points on 6-10 shooting, six rebounds, two assists and a block. Dammann defensively led the way for St. Cloud State, as she led the team with five steals and eight rebounds, including six on the defensive end of the court.

With the win, the Huskies overall record improves to 15-4 and the team is 12-3 in NSIC play. The win also extends the team's win streak to nine-games, the longest in head coach Lori Fish's tenure with St. Cloud State. The Huskies will see if they can make it 10 in a row on Saturday, as they face the equally hot Winona State University Warriors at 3:30 p.m. in Winona, Minnesota.