MSUM Women Clinch NSIC Tournament Berth, Down Wolves 63-51

21st winning season for head coach Karla Nelson

MOORHEAD, Minn. — (MSUM Athletics) A 13-2 run in the fourth quarter helped the Minnesota State University Moorhead women’s basketball team top Northern State, 63-51 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference action Friday night in Moorhead, Minn. The win clinched a berth in the upcoming NSIC/Sanford Health Tournament for the Dragons.

MSUM has won three in a row and improved to 7-4 overall and 6-3 in the NSIC North. Northern State fell to 4-9 overall and 3-8 in the north.

Steve d’Eustachio Stat of the Game

The Dragons clinched their 21st consecutive winning season with their win tonight, all under Karla Nelson. It’s the longest streak in the NSIC besting Augustana, which has already clinched its 17th consecutive winning season (including all 13 seasons in the NSIC). The University of Sioux Falls will be third on this list with seven should they secure one more win this season, while the University of Minnesota Duluth and St. Cloud St. each have four.

Inside the Numbers

Junior forward Peyton Boom led MSUM with 15 points while senior guard Sarah Jacobson had 11. Junior guard Natalie Steichen had nine, hitting 3-of-4 from downtown. Junior center Nicole Brown had eight points and a team-best nine rebounds.

Boom and sophomore guard Mariah McKeever had three assists each while McKeever had four steals.

Owning the Glass

MSUM had a 44-30 edge in rebounds, including a commanding 15-6 edge on the offensive glass. The Dragons had a 10-3 edge in second-chance points.

Fourth-Quarter Flurry
MSUM held a 47-44 lead after a pair of Northern foul shots but went on the decisive 13-2 run to take control of the game and build a 60-46 lead.  Junior guard Nicole Herbranson hit a pair of three-pointers during that crucial run while Brown had four points and Steichen had a three. MSUM’s lead never fell out of double digits the rest of the way.

First Half Battle

MSUM led by as many as nine in the first half but a cold-shooting second quarter allowed the Wolves to cut the gap to two at halftime.

Freshman guard Karley Motschenbacher made a layup in the first to give MSUM an 18-10 lead. After thes Wolves battled to take the lead at 21-20, the Dragons scored eight points in a row, capped by a three-pointer from freshman guard Lydia Hay, to take a 28-21 lead. the Wolves fought back to within 30-28 at halftime.

The Dragons hit just 4-of-16 field goal attempts in the second quarter and shot 35.5 percent (11-of-31) in the first half. The Wolves shot 41.4 percent (12-of-29). Boom had nine first half poitns for MSUM while Jacobson had eight.

Up Next

MSUM and Northern State rematch on Saturday at 2 p.m. Seniors Brooklyn Liegel and Sarah Jacobson will be honored that day.