Heading into the weekend, the Winona State University women’s basketball team looked to keep the momentum rolling amid an eight-game winning streak. Ultimately though, they did not succeed, as the team failed to win close games on Friday, Jan. 12, and Saturday, Jan. 13.

The team hosted their first of two games against the University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs in a back-and-forth contest that featured five lead changes throughout the game.

Senior forward, Hannah McGlone, who was just named NSIC Player of the Week, continued to perform well, as she led the team in total points with 19 in her 38 minutes of play. First-year Allie Pickrain also provided a good showing, with 11 points in 33 minutes, as well as a team-high with four assists.

However, an inability to get much-needed bench points proved to be a burden for the team, who were beat 13 to 7 on points off turnovers, and 14 to 8 on second chance points.

The ultimate nail in the coffin was after a late run by the Bulldogs, who scored eight unanswered points in the fourth quarter to take and build a lead that couldn’t be touched by the Warriors. The game ended with a score of 67 to 58.

The struggles continued into Friday, as the team remained at home to take on the St. Cloud State University Huskies.

Again, the most notable trouble area seemed to be points off the bench, with the team only able to score five points in that area. Meanwhile, St. Cloud State’s bench scored 20, 10 of which came in a crucial fourth quarter in yet another close game for the Warriors.

Shooting also proved a struggle for the team as they shot with a completion percentage of 38.8, making only 19 of their 49 shots.

The team’s problems also steamed to the other side of the court, as they were defensively unable to come up with any blocks and only three steals.

Despite all this, it was still a close contest between the teams as the lead changed hands five times, and was tied up four times, with the end result still in question late in the game. In a similar twist to Friday night, the Warriors’ ultimate demise came in the fourth quarter. The team was able to shrink the gap to just two points with under a minute left, but in spite of this, they weren’t able to get more points. Desperate for points and low on time, Winona State forced St. Cloud State to the free throw line with intention fouls.

Successfully converting clutch free throw shots, the Huskies carved out a seven-point lead and hold on to win 62-55.

The Warriors will look to recover from the two losses next weekend, as they go on the road to play Wayne State University on Friday, Jan. 19, and then travel to South Dakota on Saturday, Jan. 20 to take on Augustana University.