It was a weekend of close games but no success for the Winona State University women’s basketball team this weekend. While neither of their two games provided the outcome the team was hoping for, the Warriors put on performances each night that seemed to be steps in the direction of future success, after losing four straight games by at least 15 points.

The first of two nights started with a return home after two weeks away for a game against Minnesota State University Moorhead.

The matchup proved to be a historic one, as the game now stands as the longest in conference history, taking four-overtimes to determine a winner.

Early on it looked as if Winona’s long standing losing streak may be coming to an end, as the team was able to capitalize on five first-quarter fouls by Moorhead to build an early lead. They kept the momentum into the second half where they continued to play well, entering halftime with a 13-point lead.

Sophomore Gabie Doud, who was in her second week back with the team, showed no decline after missing over a month of action. She started the game off shooting a perfect five for five, putting up 10 points in the process.

However, the Dragons possessed the momentum in the second half, cutting the Warriors lead down to six during the third and eventually taking the lead in the fourth with under two minutes to go in the period.

With 12 seconds left, it appeared the odds were in Moorhead’s favor as they held a one-point lead. However, first-year Emily Kieck drew a foul with five seconds remaining and converted one of her two free throws to force the first overtime.

During the first overtime, neither team could pull away with the lead, and the lead changed hands three times. With 23 seconds left, Doud successfully made both of her free throws to give Winona the lead, but the visiting team responded quickly with a three-pointer to even the score in less than five seconds, prolonging the game to another overtime.

The second overtime saw a very similar outcome to the first, with Winona taking a one-point lead with under a minute left, thanks to a free throw from junior Liz Evenocheck, just for Moorhead to comeback and tie the game again. The second overtime ended with a score of 79 to 79.

Winona appeared to be on a run during the next overtime, as they developed a four-point lead but, yet again, it was not meant to be. The Dragons fought back, and with five seconds left tied the game with a game-saving three-point shot.

The fourth and final overtime proved to be different. As opposed to the rest, Moorhead took the lead with two minutes remaining and didn’t look back. The team established a four-point lead that proved to be too much for the Warriors, and the game finally came to an end with a final score of 97 to 101.

Despite the extended game the night before, Winona State did well in their battle against fatigue Saturday, as they hosted Northern State University. While they were able to keep the game close, the Warriors ultimately lost with a final score of 63-70.

The team returns to the road this weekend with games against Concordia University, St. Paul on Friday, Feb. 9 and Minnesota State University-Mankato on Saturday, Feb. 10. Winona State has already played and defeated both of these teams.