Saturday, January 31
Crookston, MN
1:30 P.M.
St. Cloud State
9-12,6-10NSIC
69
at
67
Minnesota Crookston
5-17,4-12NSIC
1
2
3
4
F
St. Cloud St.
18
20
19
12
69
Minn.-Crookston
19
23
19
6
67
Photo by: Kayden Kircher
Huskies Rally For Crucial 69-67 Win Over Minnesota Crookston
1/31/2026 6:54:00 PM | Women's Basketball
SCSU dominates glass with +17 rebounding margin and 30 offensive rebounds
Crookston, MN. – St. Cloud State Women's Basketball (9-12, 6-10 NSIC) took down the Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles 69-67 Saturday afternoon. After trailing nearly the entirety of the game, SCSU rallied from a 13-point deficit to come away with the win.
The first four minutes saw Minnesota Crookston take an early 9-2 advantage. The Huskies would chip away and only trail by a single point after first quarter after a jumper by Rachel Kottke connected with 47 seconds left. UMC would build their lead back up to nine after an 8-0 run to open the second. As they did in the first quarter, St. Cloud State continued to fight as they went into halftime trailing 42-38.
Coming out of halftime, the Golden Eagles started their third straight quarter with a strong push as a 7-0 run led to a timeout by the Huskies. They would extend their lead up to 13 after a three by Anna Westby. SCSU quickly responded by rattling off a 14-4 as Alana Zarneke cashed a three to bring the Huskies within three. St. Cloud State ultimately trailed 61-57 going into the fourth. Four straight points by Zarneke to open the final frame would tie the game at 61 as UMC called a timeout who then responded with a 4-0 run of their own. With 3:04 left in the game, the teams would be interlocked at a 67-67 tie. The teams would trade misses and turnovers to where SCSU had the ball with 1:51 remaining. Zarneke would hold the ball near the three-point line as Rachel Kottke curled around her to get the ball. Kottke broke the paint and collapsed the defense which left a wide-open Ashley Sawicki under the basket. Kottke fired a pass down to Sawicki who finished the right-handed layup to give the Huskies their first lead of the game since very early in the first quarter. On their offensive possession, Crookston missed a baseline jumper but secured the offensive rebound only to turnover it over on a kick-out pass. SCSU missed a mid-range jumper that would have been big to go up four but forced another turnover as UMC looked to tie the game. The Golden Eagles would have to foul multiple times to get SCSU to the free throw line with 11 seconds remaining. Inbounding on the sideline, the Huskies would mishandle a pass for the dead ball turnover as the Golden Eagles now had a chance to tie or win the game. Out of the timeout, Kristi Kottke played phenomenal defense and forced Emma Miller into a tough layup. Crookston corralled the offensive rebound with three seconds left, but the Huskies again forced a tough shot as a layup missed as the buzzer sounded. St. Cloud State would come away with the gritty 69-67 win which served to be crucial in the NSIC standings.
Top Huskies
Notables
Up Next
St. Cloud State will be back in action next Thursday as they host Southwest Minnesota State at Halenbeck Hall.
For all the latest on St. Cloud State Women's Basketball, stay tuned to SCSUHuskies.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
The first four minutes saw Minnesota Crookston take an early 9-2 advantage. The Huskies would chip away and only trail by a single point after first quarter after a jumper by Rachel Kottke connected with 47 seconds left. UMC would build their lead back up to nine after an 8-0 run to open the second. As they did in the first quarter, St. Cloud State continued to fight as they went into halftime trailing 42-38.
Coming out of halftime, the Golden Eagles started their third straight quarter with a strong push as a 7-0 run led to a timeout by the Huskies. They would extend their lead up to 13 after a three by Anna Westby. SCSU quickly responded by rattling off a 14-4 as Alana Zarneke cashed a three to bring the Huskies within three. St. Cloud State ultimately trailed 61-57 going into the fourth. Four straight points by Zarneke to open the final frame would tie the game at 61 as UMC called a timeout who then responded with a 4-0 run of their own. With 3:04 left in the game, the teams would be interlocked at a 67-67 tie. The teams would trade misses and turnovers to where SCSU had the ball with 1:51 remaining. Zarneke would hold the ball near the three-point line as Rachel Kottke curled around her to get the ball. Kottke broke the paint and collapsed the defense which left a wide-open Ashley Sawicki under the basket. Kottke fired a pass down to Sawicki who finished the right-handed layup to give the Huskies their first lead of the game since very early in the first quarter. On their offensive possession, Crookston missed a baseline jumper but secured the offensive rebound only to turnover it over on a kick-out pass. SCSU missed a mid-range jumper that would have been big to go up four but forced another turnover as UMC looked to tie the game. The Golden Eagles would have to foul multiple times to get SCSU to the free throw line with 11 seconds remaining. Inbounding on the sideline, the Huskies would mishandle a pass for the dead ball turnover as the Golden Eagles now had a chance to tie or win the game. Out of the timeout, Kristi Kottke played phenomenal defense and forced Emma Miller into a tough layup. Crookston corralled the offensive rebound with three seconds left, but the Huskies again forced a tough shot as a layup missed as the buzzer sounded. St. Cloud State would come away with the gritty 69-67 win which served to be crucial in the NSIC standings.
Top Huskies
- Alana Zarneke led the Huskies in scoring with 21 points to go with five rebounds and three steals and threes. This was her fourth game scoring 21+ points this season.
- Ashley Sawicki compiled season-highs of 12 points, seven rebounds, and two blocks. She shot an efficient 6/10 from the field.
- Abigail O'Reilly neared a double-double with 10 points and eight rebounds. She shot 2/4 from the field and 6/9 from the free throw line. Six of her rebounds were offensive. This was her fourth game with 8+ rebounds.
Notables
- St. Cloud State is now 36-8 all-time against Minnesota Crookston and have won 10 straight games.
- The Huskies led the game in free throw makes (14-11), rebounds (50-33), offensive rebounds (30-10), second chance points (22-12), and bench points (31-4).
- Kristi Kottke totaled nine points and five rebounds. This was her eighth game scoring 9+ points.
- Rachel Kottke tallied seven points, seven rebounds, two assists, and a steal. This was her sixth game with 7+ rebounds.
- Paige Lambe compiled eight points (3/6), and five rebounds.
- Reagan Briggs produced two rebounds and assists.
- Jada Eggebrecht registered four rebounds, two assists, and two points.
- CJ Adamson dished out two assists and added a steal.
Up Next
St. Cloud State will be back in action next Thursday as they host Southwest Minnesota State at Halenbeck Hall.
For all the latest on St. Cloud State Women's Basketball, stay tuned to SCSUHuskies.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Team Stats
SCSU
UMC
FG%
.333
.455
3FG%
.250
.316
FT%
.778
.917
RB
50
33
TO
14
16
STL
7
8
Game Leaders
Pts
21
FGM
7
3FGM
3
FTM
4
Pts
12
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Pts
10
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
6
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballAbove the Rim Coaches Show | SCSU Women's Basketball (12/8/2025)
Wednesday, December 10
SCSU Winter Athletics Press Conference Women's Basketball
Tuesday, November 18
SCSU Winter Athletics Press Conference Women's Basketball
Wednesday, November 27
SCSU Winter Athletics Press Conference - Women's Basketball
Tuesday, December 12
