Sam Thiel/Winonan

The Winona State University women’s basketball team returned from their winter break looking to make some noise in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference standings.

The Warriors finished their Winter Break schedule with a 6-4 record, with 5 of those wins coming against conference opponents. They started their second semester schedule with games against Upper Iowa, Bemidji State, and Minnesota, Crookston.

Abby Busch posted a career-high 22 points as the Winona State University women’s basketball team once again displayed an impressive defensive effort en route to a 70-61 victory over Upper Iowa University Tuesday in Fayette, Iowa.

Busch put in 15 first half points, pushing the Warriors past their slow start on its way to beating the Peacocks for the third time this season.

Busch shot 6-of-12 from the field, and knocked down 8-of-9 attempts from the charity stripe. The junior also snatched nine rebounds, as well as hitting two shots from beyond the three-point line.

Becca Friestleben contributed 20 points while connecting on four of her 3-point attempts for Winona State University. Marieanna Dulas knocked down ten free throws on her way to a season-best, 15, and Michelle Tobin added 11 points and six boards for Winona State.

The Warriors attacked the basket consistently throughout the game, making 23-of-30 attempts from the free throw line.

“Well, the game on Tuesday was a very physical game. At first the refs weren’t allowing much contact which racked up a lot of fouls, bringing us into bonus quickly,” senior guard Marieanna Dulas said. “As the game continued on, the physicality continued. By dribble driving into a defense that reaches caused us to get to the free throw line a lot. Our posts also did a good job of drawing the contact for a few and one opportunities. We ran a lot of offenses with ball screens which allowed us to turn the corner and get fouled.”

Defensively, the Warriors limited Upper Iowa University to shoot just 33 percent on the game despite allowing 60 or more points for the fourth time this season. The Warrior defense forced 15 turnovers and pick-pocketed the Peacocks eight times.

Winona State University went on a 10-2 run midway throughout the second half to take a lead that Upper Iowa University couldn’t overcome. Friestleben opened the run with a 3-pointer, putting the Warriors up 42-40, scoring eight points in the run.

The Warriors began the game on a slow note, quickly falling behind. Busch led the charge for WSU, pouring in 15 first half points and providing Winona State University with a 37-36 lead at halftime.

Becca Friestleben couldn’t be stopped from downtown, setting a Winona State single-game record with nine 3-pointers made as the Winona State University women’s basketball team routed Bemidji State University 78-41 Friday in Winona.

Friestleben was on fire in the second half, knocking down seven treys in the final 20 minutes of the game. She finished her night 9-of-13 from beyond the arc on her way to tying her career high with 31 points. The previous record of 3-pointers in a game was eight set by Anna Wurtz against Minnesota State on Jan 9, 2010.

Friestleben has made at least seven 3-pointers in a game three times this season and currently has 68 on the season, the seventh-best total in a single-season in school history. She is also in a tie for fifth on WSU’s all-time 3-point list with 126 made treys.

Winona State University made 12 threes in the game as a team, only four away from the school’s single-game record.

The Warriors began both halves on a strong note, going on a 12-2 run in the first five minutes of the game. After the two teams traded buckets, Katie Wolff hit a triple with 11:14 to play in the half, putting the Warriors up 11. The lead would never dip under double-digits for the rest of the game.

After going into halftime with a 21-point lead, Winona State burst out of the starting gates like they did at the start of the game, going on a 15-5 run in the first six minutes of the second period, which gave the Warriors a 31 point lead.

Michelle Tobin chipped in 15 points and snatched 11 boards to record her sixth double-double of the season. Tobin shot 7-of-11 from the field on the game.

Abby Busch added 14 points and seven rebounds to the Warrior cause, while also recording four steals. Wolff dished out a team-high five assists while Kelsey Andrist and Tessa Wells each passed out four assists.

On the defensive end, the Warriors allowed the Beavers to shoot just 26.9 percent on the game, making them the fifth team to not be able to reach 30 percent shooting against WSU this season. They were also the eighth team to fail to score 50 points against the Warrior defense.

For the second game in a row, the Winona State University women’s basketball team were unstoppable from beyond the arc, knocking down 13 triples en route to a 68-41 victory over the University of Minnesota, Crookston Saturday in Winona.

WSU shot an impressive 56.5 percent from behind the 3-point line, hitting 13 of its 23 attempts from 3-point range. The Warriors were 8-of-10 in the second half with Katie Wolff dialing in five treys and Becca Friestleben connecting on four.

Wolff led all scorers with 15 points and grabbed six boards while handing out five dimes. The senior finished her night 5-of-8 from beyond the arc. Friestleben went 4-of-6 from 3-point land on her way to 12 points while also snatching four rebounds.

On the defensive end, the Warriors limited the Golden Eagles to just 17.9 percent shooting and 12 first half points. Friestleben led the charge for WSU right after halftime, scoring the team’s first nine points with a barrage of 3-pointers.

As it has been all season long, the Warrior defense was stifling, containing the Golden Eagles to only 41 points, the ninth team that has failed to score 50 points against the Warrior defense. UMC finished their night with a 28.8 shooting percentage (17-of-59), making them the sixth team this season to shoot under 30 percent against WSU.

“We put good pressure on the ball and supported that with good help defense to limit their dribble drive opportunities and 3-point shots,” said coach Scott Ballard. “We also finished off most of our defensive possessions with good rebounding to create some transition opportunities on the offensive end.”

The Warriors also blocked six shots in the game, just one away from its season high. Kelsey Andrist and Kate Hartman each recorded two blocks to the Warrior effort.

WSU also did a fantastic job of protecting the basketball, only turning the ball over eight times the entire game.

WSU is now 14-5 overall on the season and 8-4 in NSIC play and have won three in a row. The Warriors will return to the court next weekend when it heads to Sioux Falls and Southwest Minnesota State.

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