2008 Woodie Awards
No. 3 UND, No. 4 USD too much for Mavericks
by Nia Jonesz
Issue date: 2/5/08
Section: Womens Sports
Minnesota State women's basketball found no redemption on the road during the past three games. The Mavericks suffered a blow from Augustana and were unable to get back on their feet for rematches against North Central Conference strongholds North Dakota and South Dakota. MSU's 2-4 NCC record puts the Mavericks behind all three of the their most recent opponents in the conference race.
Saturday night's 73-68 loss against South Dakota played like a game of follow the leader for the Mavericks. This time, MSU was rarely the team calling the shots.
South Dakota gained a 20-12 lead about ten minutes into the first half. MSU then answered with an 18-11 run that put them just one behind the Coyotes' 31 points to end the first half.
Soon into the second half, MSU found themselves down by 7 points, but a 9-0 run put them back in the lead. The lead would change more than five times before USD used an 11-4 rally to cement their win.
Statistically speaking, MSU out-shot USD by connecting on 51.9 percent from the field to USD's 44.1 percent. The bigger factor in the game was perhaps USD's ability to force turnovers this season. MSU was forced to 19, with the Coyotes committing just nine of their own.
MSU came to Friday night's game against North Dakota anxious to prove something after a tight loss the first time around. It seemed like the same game, different day for the Mavericks, who lost 84-69.
"In the end it came down to making shots, and we didn't step up to the challenge," junior Alex Andrews said.
After the first half, UND was shooting around 54 percent from the field, with MSU trailing at 31 percent. Sophomore Tiffany Moe's career-high 20 points weren't enough to keep MSU's head above water. UND went on a 13-7 run early in the second half and continued to pad the lead to a victory.
Three losses in a row doesn't do much for the team's record (16-5 overall) or its national ranking (sixteenth after the loss to Augustana), but the Mavericks are trying to avoid letting the current streak affect team morale.
"We're all frustrated with the losses but we do have a really talented conference," Andrews said.
The talent in the NCC is certainly not something to be taken lightly. Four of the seven teams in the conference, including MSU, were ranked in the top 20 Division 2 teams in the nation. Augustana comes in at 20, while South Dakota and North Dakota are ranked fourth and third respectively. South Dakota boasts a perfect record in the NCC and a 17-game winning streak.
Nia Jonesz is a Reporter assistant news editor
Saturday night's 73-68 loss against South Dakota played like a game of follow the leader for the Mavericks. This time, MSU was rarely the team calling the shots.
South Dakota gained a 20-12 lead about ten minutes into the first half. MSU then answered with an 18-11 run that put them just one behind the Coyotes' 31 points to end the first half.
Soon into the second half, MSU found themselves down by 7 points, but a 9-0 run put them back in the lead. The lead would change more than five times before USD used an 11-4 rally to cement their win.
Statistically speaking, MSU out-shot USD by connecting on 51.9 percent from the field to USD's 44.1 percent. The bigger factor in the game was perhaps USD's ability to force turnovers this season. MSU was forced to 19, with the Coyotes committing just nine of their own.
MSU came to Friday night's game against North Dakota anxious to prove something after a tight loss the first time around. It seemed like the same game, different day for the Mavericks, who lost 84-69.
"In the end it came down to making shots, and we didn't step up to the challenge," junior Alex Andrews said.
After the first half, UND was shooting around 54 percent from the field, with MSU trailing at 31 percent. Sophomore Tiffany Moe's career-high 20 points weren't enough to keep MSU's head above water. UND went on a 13-7 run early in the second half and continued to pad the lead to a victory.
Three losses in a row doesn't do much for the team's record (16-5 overall) or its national ranking (sixteenth after the loss to Augustana), but the Mavericks are trying to avoid letting the current streak affect team morale.
"We're all frustrated with the losses but we do have a really talented conference," Andrews said.
The talent in the NCC is certainly not something to be taken lightly. Four of the seven teams in the conference, including MSU, were ranked in the top 20 Division 2 teams in the nation. Augustana comes in at 20, while South Dakota and North Dakota are ranked fourth and third respectively. South Dakota boasts a perfect record in the NCC and a 17-game winning streak.
Nia Jonesz is a Reporter assistant news editor
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