Friday, February 14
St. Cloud, Minn.
5:30 p.m.
St. Cloud State
18-5,15-4NSIC
80
vs
74
Minnesota State University Moorhead
16-10,9-8NSIC
1
2
3
4
F
MSU Moorhead
20
19
20
15
74
St. Cloud St.
22
20
26
12
80
Erin Navratil prepares to shoot a free throw in the fourth quarter against MSU-Moorhead.
Photo by: Kelsey Whaley
Huskies down Dragons in key NSIC win
2/14/2020 9:20:00 PM | Women's Basketball
ST. CLOUD, MINN. – At this point, the St. Cloud State University women's basketball team could win a basketball game in a house with a mouse. Potentially even in a box with a fox.
In Friday night's Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) tilt against the Minnesota State University-Moorhead Dragons, the Huskies proved they can win here or there and they can win just about anywhere. Thanks to the most balanced offensive performance of the season, St. Cloud State pulled away with an impressive 80-74 victory over MSU-Moorhead, marking the first season sweep for the team in program history.
The first half between the Huskies and Dragons lasted under 45 minutes, as there were barely any stoppages of play. There were, however, 12 lead changes, as the two fast paced offenses scored a combined 81 points in the opening 20 minutes of play. Fortunately, it was St. Cloud State that led the way at halftime, as the team jumped out to a 42-39 lead entering the locker room at half.
It wasn't as though the two teams were playing poorly on defense. The Huskies and Dragons were both making contested shots, none more so than Tori Wortz (Hutchinson, Minn. / Hutchinson). The junior guard lead both teams with 12 first half points thanks to 5-9 shooting, including a 2-3 mark from the floor. Junior forward Erin Navratil (Albany, Minn. / Albany) was also on fire for St. Cloud State, as she tallied nine points thanks to 3-4 shooting from beyond the arc.
The second half proved to be just as exciting as the first, with eight more lead changes and six ties in the final two quarters. St. Cloud State again outscored MSU-Moorhead 26-20 in the third, allowing the home team to hold a 68-59 advantage over the visitors entering the final 10 minutes. That was when the Dragons made things interesting. Due to an 8-0 run and three-minute scoring drought by the Huskies, MSU-Moorhead was able to whittle St. Cloud State's lead to 72-71 with exactly 4:20 remaining in regulation.
That was when the Huskies found themselves, just as they had all night long. Whenever the Dragons made things interesting, cutting the lead to one or taking one of their own, St. Cloud State found a way to score and regain its advantage. With both team's defenses picking up the slack, Nikki Kilboten (Eau Claire, Wis. / Eau Claire North) came up with a big basket, and several key defensive rebounds, for the Huskies, boosting their lead to 74-71 with 3:19 remaining in regulation.
After Kilboten's basket, only St. Cloud State would score for the next three minutes, as Navratil scored four unanswered points to bolster the Huskies lead to 78-71 with 24 seconds left in regulation. At that point, the Dragons were forced to foul, but the gap was too great for the visitors to overcome. With 19 seconds on the clock, Madelin Dammann (Waconia, Minn. / Waconia) drained both free throws and St. Cloud State's defense did the rest, as it held off MSU-Moorhead's late push to secure the 80-74 victory.
For the first time all season, all five Huskies starters scored in double-digits Friday evening, as the team itself shot .422 from the floor in the game, including a .455 mark from three-point range. Wortz led the way scoring wise, finishing the game with a team-leading 18 points and eight assists. Navratil was gold for St. Cloud State as well, as she tallied a career-high 17 points on 5-9 shooting, including a 3-6 mark from beyond the arc. The rest of the starters numbers? Kilboten finished with 13 points and a team-leading seven rebounds. Dammann closed with 15 points, and Brehna Evans (De Pere, Wis. / West De Pere) kept up her fantastic second half with 12 points and five assists.
According to available records, Friday night's victory over MSU-Moorhead marks the first ever program sweep for St. Cloud State. It also marks the Huskies 15th win in NSIC play, the most for the team since they joined the conference back in 2008-09. After the win, St. Cloud State's overall record stands at 18-5 and the team is 15-4 in NSIC play.
The Huskies will return to action on Saturday, February 15 when they host Northern State University at 3:30 p.m. in St. Cloud, Minnesota.
In Friday night's Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) tilt against the Minnesota State University-Moorhead Dragons, the Huskies proved they can win here or there and they can win just about anywhere. Thanks to the most balanced offensive performance of the season, St. Cloud State pulled away with an impressive 80-74 victory over MSU-Moorhead, marking the first season sweep for the team in program history.
The first half between the Huskies and Dragons lasted under 45 minutes, as there were barely any stoppages of play. There were, however, 12 lead changes, as the two fast paced offenses scored a combined 81 points in the opening 20 minutes of play. Fortunately, it was St. Cloud State that led the way at halftime, as the team jumped out to a 42-39 lead entering the locker room at half.
It wasn't as though the two teams were playing poorly on defense. The Huskies and Dragons were both making contested shots, none more so than Tori Wortz (Hutchinson, Minn. / Hutchinson). The junior guard lead both teams with 12 first half points thanks to 5-9 shooting, including a 2-3 mark from the floor. Junior forward Erin Navratil (Albany, Minn. / Albany) was also on fire for St. Cloud State, as she tallied nine points thanks to 3-4 shooting from beyond the arc.
The second half proved to be just as exciting as the first, with eight more lead changes and six ties in the final two quarters. St. Cloud State again outscored MSU-Moorhead 26-20 in the third, allowing the home team to hold a 68-59 advantage over the visitors entering the final 10 minutes. That was when the Dragons made things interesting. Due to an 8-0 run and three-minute scoring drought by the Huskies, MSU-Moorhead was able to whittle St. Cloud State's lead to 72-71 with exactly 4:20 remaining in regulation.
That was when the Huskies found themselves, just as they had all night long. Whenever the Dragons made things interesting, cutting the lead to one or taking one of their own, St. Cloud State found a way to score and regain its advantage. With both team's defenses picking up the slack, Nikki Kilboten (Eau Claire, Wis. / Eau Claire North) came up with a big basket, and several key defensive rebounds, for the Huskies, boosting their lead to 74-71 with 3:19 remaining in regulation.
After Kilboten's basket, only St. Cloud State would score for the next three minutes, as Navratil scored four unanswered points to bolster the Huskies lead to 78-71 with 24 seconds left in regulation. At that point, the Dragons were forced to foul, but the gap was too great for the visitors to overcome. With 19 seconds on the clock, Madelin Dammann (Waconia, Minn. / Waconia) drained both free throws and St. Cloud State's defense did the rest, as it held off MSU-Moorhead's late push to secure the 80-74 victory.
For the first time all season, all five Huskies starters scored in double-digits Friday evening, as the team itself shot .422 from the floor in the game, including a .455 mark from three-point range. Wortz led the way scoring wise, finishing the game with a team-leading 18 points and eight assists. Navratil was gold for St. Cloud State as well, as she tallied a career-high 17 points on 5-9 shooting, including a 3-6 mark from beyond the arc. The rest of the starters numbers? Kilboten finished with 13 points and a team-leading seven rebounds. Dammann closed with 15 points, and Brehna Evans (De Pere, Wis. / West De Pere) kept up her fantastic second half with 12 points and five assists.
According to available records, Friday night's victory over MSU-Moorhead marks the first ever program sweep for St. Cloud State. It also marks the Huskies 15th win in NSIC play, the most for the team since they joined the conference back in 2008-09. After the win, St. Cloud State's overall record stands at 18-5 and the team is 15-4 in NSIC play.
The Huskies will return to action on Saturday, February 15 when they host Northern State University at 3:30 p.m. in St. Cloud, Minnesota.
Team Stats
MSUM
SCSU
FG%
.406
.422
3FG%
.310
.455
FT%
.750
.941
RB
44
35
TO
12
7
STL
5
5
Game Leaders
Pts
18
FGM
8
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
17
FGM
5
3FGM
3
FTM
4
Pts
15
FGM
5
3FGM
2
FTM
3
Pts
13
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballG
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