St. Cloud State
11-4,7-3NSIC
Minnesota State University - Mankato
9-7,8-5NSIC
Staying alive: women's basketball rallies for 70-68 win over MSU
2/26/2021 3:22:00 PM | Women's Basketball
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - The St. Cloud State University women's basketball team didn't spend much time leading its Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) / Sanford Health Tournament quarterfinal games against Minnesota State University-Mankato. The Huskies led when it mattered most though: at the end of regulation.
Things didn't look rosy for the defending conference tournament champs, as St. Cloud State trailed Minnesota State by 15 points at the half. The Huskies, though, put together a furious fourth quarter rally, downing the upset-minded Mavericks 70-68 to advance to the NSIC / Sanford Health Tournament semifinal round for the third consecutive season.
St. Cloud State only led for 41 seconds in the game thanks to a hot offensive start by Minnesota State. In fact, it was the Mavericks full court press that got the best of the Huskies early on, as they took an early 8-2 lead over St. Cloud State by going 4-5 from the floor. Additionally, the Huskies found themselves without one of their top defensive and offensive weapons for the majority of the first quarter, as senior Tori Wortz (Hutchinson, Minn. / Hutchinson) was called for two early fouls, forcing her to spend nearly six minutes on the bench.
St. Cloud State managed to close the gap to four, as Katrina Theis (Maple Grove, Minn. / Maple Grove) proved to be a formidable force in the first quarter. Her rebound-layup around the five minute mark ignited something in the Huskies, as they closed the first quarter on a 9-2 run to cut the Minnesota State lead to 19-17.
St. Cloud State's good fortune, however, did not carry over to the start of the second, as it was the Mavericks that opened with the early run to hold a 28-17 lead midway through the quarter. By halftime, Minnesota State extended its lead to 39-24 due to hot shooting from beyond the arc.
The Huskies made plenty of adjustments and came out of the locker room at halftime looking like their old selves. Rebounding by Nikki Kilboten (Eau Claire, Wis. / Eau Claire North) and sharp shooting in the opening minutes allowed St. Cloud State to pull within 10 of the Mavericks seemingly sizable lead. Minnesota State, though, answered with a three-pointer of its own, extending its lead to 44-33 with 5:08 remaining in the third quarter.
The Huskies did what the Huskies do, though, as their tenacious defense held the Mavericks scoreless for nearly three full minutes, allowing them to cut the deficit to 44-39. However, St. Cloud State could never fully silence Minnesota State, as the visitors closed the third quarter with a 54-43 advantage.
In the end, it was the Huskies effort and grit that beat the Mavericks, and that furious fourth quarter rally, highlighted by a slew of top-notch defensive plays, the kind St. Cloud State is known for. Rebounding by Kilboten and Theis, steals from Brehna Evans (De Pere, Wis / West De Pere), Wortz and Erin Navratil (Albany, Minn. / Albany) and a clutch scoring by all helped the Huskies tie the game 64-64 with 2:36 remaining in regulation.
Minnesota State managed to take a 66-64 lead on the following offensive possession, as Tayla Stuttley drew a foul before draining two free throws. However, Wortz answered by going 2-2 from the charity stripe on St. Cloud State's very next play, tying things 66-66 before giving the Huskies a 68-66 lead with an easy layup under the basket.
That's when things got crazy. Like cray-cray crazy, as the final minutes of close basketball games tend to be. The Mavericks forced a St. Cloud State turnover and looked poised to take the lead on a Stuttley layup. However, Stuttley was called for her fifth and final foul, a charge, giving the Huskies offensive possession with 36 seconds remaining in the ball game.
That's when the magic happened. Head coach Lori Fish called a time out to advance the ball up the court, giving her team a chance to score the go-ahead basket and leave just seconds on the clock. Her plan worked to perfection, though maybe not the exact way it was drawn up. When the Mavericks crowded the lane to prevent easy shots by Evans, Wortz or Kilboten, they left Caitlyn Peterson (Lakeville, Minn. / Lakeville North) wide open under the basket. The senior drained the layup, regaining a 70-68 advantage for St. Cloud State with 17.4 seconds remaining in regulation.
Seventeen-point-four seconds is a long time for the offensive minded Minnesota State team, even against the Huskies top ranked defense. Time wound down, though, and there wasn't a shot to be found for the Mavericks, who, with 1.5 on the clock, drove toward the basket, hoping to tie the game and draw a foul. It wasn't meant to be. Though the ball went out of bounds off a St. Cloud State player, Evans forced a turnover on the inbound pass, clinching the 70-68 victory for the Huskies.
Evans was the top offensive player for St. Cloud State, as she scored 19 points with seven rebounds and one steal in the game. Kilboten, Wortz and Peterson also scored in double-digits for the Huskies, tallying 15, 16 and 10 points respectively. Kilboten ended as the team's leading rebounder with eight total, while Theis tied her career high with three blocks.
With the win, St. Cloud State's overall record improves to 11-4 and the team advances to the NSIC / Sanford Health Tournament semifinal for the second consecutive season. The Huskies next opponent is none other than Augustana University, a team they beat in the NSIC / Sanford Health Tournament one season ago. Tip off is scheduled for 1 p.m. at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
