Huskies take down Beavers in defensive battle

Saturday, January 4

St. Cloud, Minn.

3:30 p.m.

St. Cloud State

8-4,5-3NSIC

Bemidji State University

6-6,3-5NSIC

Bemidji St.

St. Cloud St.

Sophomore Brehna Evans scored 12 of her team-leading 20 points in the second half against Bemidji State Saturday afternoon.

Photo by: Kylie Macziewski

1/4/2020 7:58:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

ST. CLOUD, MINN. – The St. Cloud State University women's basketball team is used to playing physical games, mostly because the Huskies are the ones being physical. On Saturday, St. Cloud State got a taste of its own medicine, as the team hosted Bemidji State University in one of its toughest Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) games of the season. Fortunately, it was the Huskies that came out on top, as they weathered the storm for an impressive 65-53 victory over Bemidji State.

Spectators might have thought they were witnessing a St. Cloud State wrestling match rather than a women's basketball game, as the opening half between the Huskies and Beavers was extremely physical. St. Cloud State's strong defense held Bemidji State to just 29 points in 20 minutes of play, as the Huskies tallied six steals, three by junior Erin Navratil (Albany, Minn. / Albany), and forced eight Beaver turnovers in the first half.

Still, St. Cloud State still found itself in a 29-27 deficit, as the Huskies offense struggled against Bemidji State's defense. In fact, St. Cloud State shot just .313 from the floor and made nine shots from the floor in the first half, three of which were provided by senior guard Madelin Dammann (Waconia, Minn. / Waconia) who led the team with six points. Tori Wortz (Hutchinson, Minn. / Hutchinson) contributed five first half points, while Caitlyn Peterson (Lakeville, Minn. / Lakeville North) led the way with four rebounds.

The two teams continued to battle in the third quarter, with neither St. Cloud State nor Bemidji State holding an advantage greater than six points in the early minutes. Still, the Huskies found themselves trailing for the majority of the quarter, as the Beavers held a 44-43 lead entering the final 10 minutes of play.

That was when St. Cloud State, specifically Brehna Evans (De Pere, Wis. / West De Pere), found its stride, as the Huskies a furious fourth quarter rally to take control of the game for good. Wortz kicked off the quarter by scoring a quick basket in the paint, regaining a 45-44 lead for St. Cloud State. A defensive rebound by Nikki Kilboten (Eau Claire, Wis. / Eau Claire) and a two point lay up by Navratil helped the Huskies extend their lead to three at 47-44 before the Beavers managed to cut things down to two after a two minutes scoring drought by both teams.

The Huskies would hold a slim 47-45 lead over Bemidji State with 7:47 remaining in regulation before a three-minute scoring drought would plague both teams yet again. Fotunately, it was Evans and St. Cloud State that managed to break it, as she clung on for a nice layup under the basket to put the Huskies ahead 49-45. From that point on, the Beavers would only come within two of St. Cloud State's lead, as clutch free throws from Evans, Dammann and Wortz down the stretch clinched the 65-53 win for the Huskies.

Evans was phenomenal for St. Cloud State, particularly in the second half of the game. The sophomore scored a career-high and team-leading 20 points, including 12 in the third and fourth quarters alone, thanks to 4-6 shooting from the floor and an impressive 10-10 clip from the charity stripe. Dammann added 12 points and a team-leading eight rebounds in the victory, while Wortz scored 11. Navratil also had an impressive night, as she led the way with three steals and recorded a team-leading 20 plus/minus in the game.

With the win, the Huskies overall record improves to 8-4 and the team is 5-3 in NSIC play. St. Cloud State will return to action the weekend of January 10-11, as the team travels to North Dakota for more NSIC action against Minot State and Mary.