Winona State University Women’s Basketball had two back-to-back away games last Friday, Nov. 27 and Saturday, Nov. 28 in Colorado.

They came away with the win on Friday against Colorado Christian University with a score of 66-58, but just barely lost to Metropolitan State University of Denver on Saturday with a score of 55-58.

The win against the Colorado Christian University did not come easy, as the team trailed by as much as 11 points at one point in the game.

Sophomore Emily Kieck and Senior Kayla Schaefer were instrumental in the win, each scoring a career-high 21 points in the game.

“Every night you have to come to play,” Schaefer said. “We need to be consistent and show up to play every weekend.”

Schaefer and Kieck worked together to keep the momentum of the game going, combining for 14 of the Warriors’ final 17 points in the game.

Heading into the locker room at halftime the Warriors were trailing 26-23, but Kieck was able to lead the team into a comeback in the second half, getting 16 of her 21 points and going 3-3 in three point shots in the half.

Winona State outscored the Cougars in the second half, 43-32.

The Warriors dominated the glass with 18 more boards than the Cougars totaling 54 in the game.

Other than Kieck, the rest of the Warriors and the Cougars had some trouble shooting from beyond the arc on the night, but the Warriors were able to excel in other aspects having 24 offensive boards, and 20 second-chance points.

Senior Rachel Novotny recorded 13 points in the win, while sophomore Taylor Hustad had a season-best 10 rebounds. Schaefer added six rebounds and a team-best four assists.

The Warriors attempted to keep the momentum going into the game on Saturday against Metro State University Denver, but fell short of a victory, losing 58-55 to the Roadrunners.

Sophomore Allie Pickrain led the Warriors offensively with a career-best 26 points.

The two teams were evenly matched with shooting percentages of 31.6 for the Warriors, and 34.5 for the Roadrunners.

There was also little difference in the battle for rebounds with the Warriors having 42 to their 39, including a 13-12 lead in offensive boards.

The three deciding factors in the win were points off of turnovers, second chance points, and points in the paint. Metro State capitalized on turnovers, turning the 18 turnovers into 17 points, while leading in the paint with 22 points to the Warriors 12. Metro State also had 18 second chance points to Winona’s five.

The Roadrunners were ahead for the duration of the third quarter, but a three-pointer from junior Alyssa Jurges cut down the lead to 45-40 heading into the final quarter.

The Warriors and the Roadrunners traded the lead five times over the course of the final 10 minutes of the game, but both offenses struggled to make shots towards the end of the game.

The teams traded free throws over the final minutes with a pair of clutch shots at the free throw line by Pickrain cutting the deficit of the Warriors to 54-53. Sophomore Julia Silloway went 1-2 in two trips to the line in the final minute to put Winona State back in front at 55-54.

With 48 seconds left on the clock, the Roadrunners had what proved to be a game winning lay-up as Metro State sealed their win at the free throw line 58-55, before Pickrain’s last second effort from the three fell short.

The Warriors drop to a record of 2-2 on the year heading into their first home game and conference action on Dec. 1st against Upper Iowa University.