Huskies poach Cougars in NSIC/Sanford Health semifinal

Monday, March 2

Sioux Falls, S.D.

8 p.m.

St. Cloud State

22-7,16-6NSIC

University of Sioux Falls (S.D.)

26-6,17-5NSIC

St. Cloud St.

Sioux Falls

Tori Wortz, Madelin Dammann and Caitlyn Peterson celebrate the Huskies semifinal win over Sioux Falls Monday night.

Photo by: Kelsey Whaley

3/2/2020 10:50:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

SIOUX FALLS, S. D. – The St. Cloud State University women's basketball team is headed to the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) / Sanford Health Tournament Championship game.

It wasn't always pretty basketball, but the Huskies found a way to win when it mattered most. For the first time since the 2008-09 season, St. Cloud State is headed to the NSIC/Sanford Health Tournament Championship game thanks to a 76-59 win over the top seed in the South Division, the University of Sioux Falls, Monday evening.
The Huskies and Cougars played in one of the most excited games of the season back in December, as St. Cloud State knocked off #7 Sioux Falls 80-76 in double overtime. In the rematch, St. Cloud State struggled to make shots in the opening quarter, while everything Sioux Falls put up seemed to fall through the net, allowing the Cougars to take a 7-3 lead just five minutes into the game.

The Huskies defense picked up the pace in the final four minutes of the quarter, but Sioux Falls still held a 16-8 after the first 10 minutes of play. As the second quarter wore on, St. Cloud State only saw the Cougars extend their lead, as they seemed to make shot after shot, while Huskies saw no luck on their side of the court. Then, things started to change. It started with a three-pointer from Tori Wortz (Hutchinson, Minn. / Hutchinson), which, coincidentally, was her 1000 career point in a Husky uniform. Then, St. Cloud State earned three-straight defensive stops, holding Sioux Falls to a .263 shooting percentage in the second quarter. It also helped that the Huskies offense wore down the Cougars stingy defense, as they slowly but surely chipped away at the lead until a three-pointer by Kelsey Peschel (Sauk Centre, Minn. / Sauk Centre) tied things up at 31-31.

After Peschel's shot, it was hard to believe anything could be more miraculous for the Huskies, until Madelin Dammann (Waconia, Minn. / Waconia) did some senior things. In the waning seconds of the second quarter, the senior put up an off-balance jump shot, which seemed destined to clunk off the rim and into the hands of a waiting Cougar at the buzzer. The ball did the opposite, as it bounced off the opposite rim and fell through the net, giving St. Cloud State a 33-32 half time lead.

The third quarter proved to be just as exciting, wild and crazy as the first two, as both teams held the lead and went cold as ice on offense. The Huskies did get out to a hot start, as they carried the momentum over from Dammann's basket and took a 40-35 lead over Sioux Falls on a three-pointer by Brehna Evans (De Pere, Wis. / West De Pere). The Cougars, though, were not to be discouraged, as they went on a 5-0 run to regain a 46-42 lead. Sioux Falls mini run seemed to jump start St. Cloud State's defense, as Caitlyn Peterson (Lakeville, Minn. / Lakeville North) and Dammann scored back-to-back-back baskets to help the Huskies end the quarter with a 50-46 lead.

St. Cloud State poured the points on in the fourth quarter, as the team outscored Sioux Falls 26-13, winning the game by a final score of 76-59. The victory sent the Huskies to the NSIC/Sanford Health Tournament Championship game for the first time since the 2008-09 season, a year when St. Cloud State won the whole thing.

Dammann lead the Huskies in points Monday night, as she tallied 20 points, three points, one block and one steal in the victory. Wortz, Nikki Kilboten (Eau Claire, Wis. / Eau Claire North) and Peterson also scored in double digits, scoring 16, 15 and 10 points respectively.

Wortz had a historic night of her own, as she became the second Husky this weekend and the 32^nd all-time to score 1000 career points, as her second three of the game helped her eclipse the mark. She additionally, led St. Cloud State in rebounds with 12.

With the win, the Huskies overall record improves to 22-7, tying the most overall wins for the program since the early 2010s. The team also advances to the NSIC/Sanford Heath Tournament Championship game for the first time since 2008-09, when St. Cloud State defeated Concordia-St. Paul to earn the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. The Huskies opponent will be none other than rival Minnesota-Duluth, which they will face at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 3 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.