dsu athletics news
dsu athletics pages
Trojan women’s basketball hangs on to defeat Minnesota-Morris
December 16, 2011
MADISON, S.D. – As Dakota State women's basketball team trailed by eight points in the first-half, the Trojans used a strong second-half performance and held on to defeat Minnesota-Morris 61-58 Friday night at DSU Fieldhouse.
DSU improves their overall record to 4-7. Minnesota-Morris, preseason favorite to win the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference, dropped their record to 3-5.
The Trojans missed its first four shots of the game to allow the Cougars grab a 7-0 lead.
Dakota State answered back by making four consecutive field goals to gain a 9-7 lead with thirteen minutes and 39 seconds left in the first-half.
UMM went on a 14-4 run to regain their lead at 21-13 with 8:29 before halftime.
The Trojans held the Cougars to two field goals in the final 8:29 of the first-half. Kylie Westover hit a 3-pointer shot before the halftime buzzer as DSU grabbed a 27-25 lead.
DSU converted 6-of-7 field goals in the first 4:22 of the second-half to extend their lead to 41-35.
Minnesota-Morris responded back by scoring six straight points to tie the game at 41-41 with 13:14 remaining in the game.
With UMM leading at 45-44 with 10:30 left in the game, the Trojans put together an 11-0 scoring run in a span of nearly five minutes to build the game's largest lead at 55-45.
The Cougars trimmed their deficit to one-point (59-58) with 2:12 remaining in the game.
Dakota State secured the game by Westover's two free-throws with 11 seconds left in the game. The Cougars had their final scoring opportunity by Alyssa Silva's 3-point shot attempt, but was blocked by Westover.
The Trojans outscored UMM 18-10 inside the paint in the second-half.
Three players scored in double digits for Dakota State. Katy Pillar had 18 points on her 8-for-14 shooting from the field. She pulled down eight rebounds. Westover added 17 points as she shot 6-for-12 from the field, including 3-for-8 from the 3-point line. Jayda Swenson had 12 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Cassie Jacobsen dished out a game-high six assists. Yui Onodera added five assists.
Emily Mehr and Kendra Wycoff each had 14 points for the Cougars. Jenni Noordmans added 11 points and dished out five assists. She stole the ball four times in the game. Abby Fragodt earned eight rebounds.
DSU shot 46.2 percent from the field (24-for-52) – 51.9 percent in the second-half. The Cougars were 22-for-56 from the field (39.3 percent).
The Trojans outscored UMM 24-13 in points off turnovers. The Cougars outscored DSU 25-9 in bench points.
Dakota State had a slim rebounding edge over Minnesota-Morris. The Trojans recorded 34 rebounds compared to the Cougars' 32.
DSU will return back to action on Friday, Dec. 30. The Trojans will look to make it two straight wins as they host AIB (Iowa). Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m. at DSU Fieldhouse.
Nick Huntimer, Dakota State University Sports Information Director
