St. Cloud State
17-5,14-4NSIC
Augustana University (SD)
13-9,9-9NSIC
Huskies terrorize Vikings in 71-67 victory
2/8/2020 7:52:00 PM | Women's Basketball
ST. CLOUD, MINN. - There are multiple types of "close" games in the world of sports. There's the "nailbiter", the "glued to the edge of your seater", the "I can't looker" and the "stopped breathing 20 minutes ago" experience.
It's safe to say the St. Cloud State University women's basketball team experienced all of those Saturday afternoon.
After a disappointing Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) loss to Wayne State College on Friday, the Huskies were looking to get back in the win column with a Saturday victory over Augustana University. Win is exactly what St. Cloud State did and in thrilling fashion at that, as the team took down Augustana by a final score of 71-67.
The game could best be described as an old fashioned shootout from the start, as the Huskies and Vikings were both equally prepared to play a fast-paced, physical game of basketball. It was so physical, in fact, that St. Cloud State found itself playing without starting point guard Brehna Evans (De Pere, Wis. / West De Pere), who was called for two quick fouls in the early minutes of the first quarter. Still, the Huskies were able to overcome the early adversity, jumping out to a 21-15 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The physical play continued in the second, as the two teams scrapped for supremacy and control of the basketball. For every basket St. Cloud State scored, Augustana seemed to have an answer, but the Huskies still held a 38-34 advantage heading into the locker room at half primarily due to the success of their bench. While starters Nikki Kilboten (Eau Claire, Wis. / North) and Madelin Dammann (Waconia, Minn. / Waconia) led with nine points apiece in the opening 20 minutes, it was Erin Navratil (Albany, Minn. / Albany), Kassidy Steen (Cloquet, Minn. / Denfield) and Kelsey Peschel (Sauk Centre, Minn. / Sauk Centre) that kept the Huskies above water in the second, even if it doesn't show on the stat line. Their strong play, and Navratil's back-to-back three-pointers midway through the quarter, kept St. Cloud State in the lead at the end of a tightly contested quarter.
The Vikings had the hot hand to start the third, as they whittled the Huskies lead down to a single possession at 38-35. However, after the opening basket, neither St. Cloud State nor Augustana would score for nearly a full minute, as both teams were treated by a case of an unfriendly rim. Kilboten put a stop to that, as her layup-and-one regained a two-possession lead for the Huskies at 41-35. Unfortunately, it also seemed to ignite the Vikings offense, as they scored seven unanswered points to take a 42-41 lead with five minutes remaining in the quarter.
By the time the third quarter ended, three lead changes had taken place, and St. Cloud State held a slim 50-48 lead at the start of the fourth. Though the Huskies would continue to extend their lead, they suffered a crushing blow at 8:36 in the quarter, as leading scorer Tori Wortz (Hutchinson, Minn. / Hutchinson) was called for a controversial fourth foul and forced out of the game for an extended period of time.
Without Wortz on the court, the Vikings tied the game at 52-52 with 6:46 remaining in regulation after a dead-period of two minutes where neither team scored. From that point on, it was clear free throws would determine the game, as St. Cloud State and Augustana were called for back-to-back shooting fouls, keeping things knotted at 54-54.
Dammann scored back-to-back baskets, giving the Huskies a seemingly substantial lead at 60-55. From there, the shoot out began again, with the two teams answering each other point-for-point, basket-for-basket. Anytime St. Cloud State scored a layup, the Vikings were there to do the same, and when Dammann hit a huge three to put the Huskies up 65-59 with under two minutes left in regulation, Augustana's Abby Hora ran right down the court and did the same, making it 65-62 St. Cloud State with 1:36 left in the game.
In the end, it came down to free throws. Navratil missed two to give the Vikings the ball with 17.6 seconds remaining on the clock and the Huskies up 67-64. St. Cloud State was also without Wortz, who fouled on the previous defensive possession, sacrificing herself to preserve the three-point advantage for her team. Augustana, though, threw the ball away on its next offensive possession, sending Dammann to the line for two with 12.9 left in the game. The senior sunk the first and the second, giving the Huskies a 69-64 lead and forcing Vikings head coach Dave Krauth to call a time out to advance the ball into his team's zone.
Of course, those final 12 seconds proved to be the most exciting of the game. Junior guard Caitlyn Peterson (Lakeville, Minn. / Lakeville North) was called for a block, allowing Augustana to cut the lead to 69-67 with exactly nine seconds left in the game. Again, the Vikings resorted to fouling, sending Dammann to the line with seven seconds left. The senior drained both free throws, securing the 71-67 win for the Huskies.
Dammann ended the game as the team's leading scorer, tallying 20 points on 5-9 shooting and a perfect 8-8 mark from the charity stripe. Kilboten also continued her impressive weekend, as she tallied her third consecutive double-double with 18 points and a game-leading 12 rebounds to boot.
With the win, St. Cloud State's overall record improves to 17-5 and the team is now 14-4 in NSIC play. The Huskies will return to action on Friday, February 14 as they host MSU-Moorhead at 5:30 p.m. in Halenbeck Hall.
