31 Points by O’Reilly Powers Huskies Past Wolves 75-72

Saturday, December 14

St. Cloud, Minn.

3:30 P.M.

St. Cloud State

6-3,3-1NSIC

Northern State

5-5,2-2NSIC

Northern St.

St. Cloud St.

12/14/2024 9:15:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

St. Cloud State ices game at the free throw line late

St. Cloud, Minn.- St. Cloud State Women's Basketball (6-3, 3-1 NSIC) got back in the win column as they defeated Northern State 75-72 Saturday afternoon. After a back-and-forth start to the game, Northern State used a 7-0 run to take a 19-13 lead at the 2:13 mark of the first quarter. St. Cloud State would respond as Alana Zarneke knocked down a jumper and then cashed a three-pointer as the Huskies got back within one-point. The Wolves ultimately held a 23-20 lead at the end of the first quarter. The second quarter started off as a scoring barrage by Abigail O'Reilly as she scored the first eight points in the quarter for the Huskies. Jada Eggebrecht joined the party as she cashed a three to give St. Cloud State a 31-29 lead with 3:22 left in the half. The duo continued to thrive as they scored all 18 points in the quarter as SCSU led 38-31 going into halftime after holding NSU to 27% from the field in the second. The third quarter continued the back-and-forth play that was present in the first quarter as the Huskies held a 48-42 lead halfway through the third. SCSU started to push their lead open as Rachel Kottke knocked down consecutive triples. O'Reilly would finish a layup assisted by Kottke as the Huskies would now lead by nine points with 2:43 remaining. St. Cloud State would head into the fourth quarter holding a nine-point lead and would lead 63-53 with 4:03 left in the game. Over the next three minutes, the Wolves went on a 10-0 run as they tied the game with 58 seconds remaining. On the ensuing offensive possession for SCSU, Alana Zarneke came up with a huge corner three to give the Huskies a 66-63 lead with 40 seconds left. The Wolves scored on their next possession and then fouled Alyssa Stamer with 23 seconds left. Stamer knocked down both of her attempts as St. Cloud State would now lead 68-65. The patented St. Cloud defense came up with a big stop as Rachel Kottke grabbed a big rebound and would be fouled. Kottke pushed the lead up to five with 18 seconds left after making both free throws. The Wolves would not go away as they finished a layup which would ultimately lead to two free throws for the Huskies. O'Reilly knocked down both attempts, but NSU made a three-pointer with nine seconds left to set the score at 72-70 with the Huskies leading. Kottke would get fouled and split her free throws to give St. Cloud State a three-point lead. From the opposite baseline, Northern finished a layup almost instantly as it was again a one-point game with four seconds left. Eggebrecht was fouled and step to the line where she pushed the lead back up to three-point after making both shots. Northern State was unable to get a shot off with three seconds remaining as St. Cloud State held on for a 75-72 victory against the Wolves.

Top Huskies

Abigail O'Reilly was dominant as she poured in a career-high of 31 points while shooting 13/19 from the field. She also went 5/7 from the free throw line after drawing eight fouls in the game while also grabbing five rebounds.
Rachel Kottke has a career-game as she totaled 15 points, eight rebounds, and six assists, all of which were career-highs. Kottke also made three three-pointers while nabbing two steals.
Jada Eggebrecht scored 13 points on 5/10 shooting. Eggebrecht also tallied two rebounds, an assist, and a block.

Notables

St. Cloud State is now 17-17 against Northern State all-time.
The Huskies led the game in free throw percentage (76.5-61.5), rebounds (40-28), offensive rebounds (10-5), assists (22-18), blocks (4-3), points off turnovers (14-9), and bench points (21-15).
Reagan Briggs set career highs in rebounds and assists after grabbing eight boards and dishing five assists.
Alana Zarneke scored eight points and grabbed four rebounds while making two of her four three-point shots. She also recorded two assists and stocks.
Alyssa Stamer scored two points while dishing out five assists. Stamer has now totaled 5+ assists in four games this year.
Paige Lambe tallied four points and rebounds while blocking two shots. This is her second multi-block game of the season.
Kristi Kottke set a career-high of three assists.

Up Next
St. Cloud State will be back in action on Tuesday, December 17 as they host UMary at Halenbeck Hall. For all the latest on St. Cloud State Women's Basketball, stay tuned to scsuhuskies.com and follow the Huskies on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.