Sam Thiel/Winonan

Abby Busch posted her third double-double of the season, but it wasn’t enough as the Winona State University women’s basketball team lost a heartbreaker to Concordia-St. Paul 56-54 Friday in Winona.

Busch recorded 17 points and grabbed a career-high of 13 rebounds for the Warriors. Winona State won the rebound battle in the game, outrebounding the Golden Bears 48-33 on the night.

Neither team could build a lead in the second half, with the biggest advantage being six by Concordia-St. Paul. Winona State led by four, 52-48, but the Golden Bears went on an 8-2 run in the final 9 minutes of the game.

Concordia-St. Paul’s Carissa Wolyniec connected on a 3-pointer that would ultimately serve as the game-winner with 2:11 to play in the game.

Becca Friestleben added 14 points for Winona State, while Katie Wolff had a well-rounded game, posting seven points as well as five rebounds and five assists.

Michelle Tobin finished her night a basket shy of a double-double, netting eight points while also snatching 12 rebounds.

The Warriors struggled from beyond the arc in the game, shooting just 2-of-17, while the Golden Bears knocked down seven of their attempts from deep.

Winona State made good use of its trips to the free throw line, knocking down 14 of their 15 attempts from the line. Friestleben went eight for eight while Busch went 6-of-7.

Concordia-St. Paul led 27-26 at halftime. The Golden Bears had a 10-7 lead halfway through the opening period, with both squads trading buckets for the rest of the half. Busch put in eight points and seven rebounds in the first half.

The Warriors couldn’t complete the comeback as they dropped their final home game of the regular season 77-68 to No. 25 Minnesota State Saturday in Winona.

Becca Friestleben became the single-season leader for Winona State’s women’s basketball in 3-pointers made,

Friestleben netted 25 points, including eight three pointers. She has connected on 95 treys this season, breaking the record of 92 that was set by Ana Wurtz during the 2008-09 campaign.

Friestleben has knocked down at least seven triples four different times this season, including a school-record nine against Bemidji State.

Four Winona State players reached double digits in scoring on the night, with Friestleben leading the way with her ninth 20-point game of the season.

Katie Wolff made three treys on her way to 14 points while Michelle Tobin chipped in 14 and eight rebounds. Abby Busch added ten to the Warrior effort.

Minnesota State raced to an early lead and never looked back, building a 21- point advantage at the break. The Mavericks hardly missed throughout the game, hitting 50 percent of their shots including an impressive 42 percent from beyond the arc.

Coach Scott Ballard explained shooting percentages vary in every game due to how different players are defended.

“We played good defense against Concordia and dominated the boards, however our downfall was that we had an off night from 3-point land and we had too many unforced turnovers mixed in that cost us several possessions in a game that was decided by one possession,” coach Scott Ballard said.

Against Mankato, Ballard said Winona State played better in the second half of the game.

“The second half we played better but could not overcome the large halftime deficit against a quality team like them. Our goal now is to beat Wayne St. next Friday and lock up a home playoff game in the first round of the NSIC tournament.”

The Warriors slowly climbed its way back coming to within nine in the final seconds before falling to the Mavericks.

Winona State, now 18-9 overall, will finish out the regular season on the road when the women’s team travels to face Wayne State on Feb. 22, and Augustana on Feb. 23.

Contact Sam at [email protected].