Sam Thiel/Winonan
Despite getting double-doubles from Abby Busch and Michelle Tobin, the Winona State University women’s basketball team fell to Wayne State 53-50 Friday in Wayne, Neb.
Tobin netted 15 points and recorded 11 rebounds while Busch also recorded 15 points and ten boards. This is the first game this season the Warriors have had two players post double-doubles in the same game.
After a tight first half, Winona State began to run away with the lead early in the final half. The Warriors recorded the first eight points of the second period and built a 12-point advantage with about nine minutes to go in the contest.
Winona State would only score four more points during the final nine minutes as the Wildcats started their comeback.
Wayne State scored 12 points in a row to tie up the game at 46 with 4:29 to play in the game. A couple of free throws by Tobin with 1:57 left gave Winona State a one point lead of 50-49, but Wayne State recorded the final four points of the game to seal the victory.
Becca Friestleben and Katie Wolff each knocked down a pair of shots from beyond the arc, netting eight points each.
Tessa Wells knocked down a free throw with 13 seconds to go to force overtime as Winona State took a 67-64 victory over No. 23 Augustana Saturday in the regular season finale.
Augustana connected on a 3-pointer with 39 seconds to go in regulation to take a 56-55 advantage. Wells drew the foul with just 13 seconds on the clock and hit one-of-two from the free throw line to put the game into overtime.
The Warriors took control of the extra period, hitting 3-pointers on consecutive possessions by Katie Wolff and Abby Busch to take a five-point advantage, 63-58. The Vikings came back within one point two different times, but the Warriors would make sure they never took the lead.
This is the second time this season that Winona State has defeated a ranked opponent, with the first being a Dec. 15 victory over then No. 12 Wayne State.
Marieanna Dulas, senior guard, said, the girls knew the importance of getting at least one win over the weekend to ensure the first round of the playoffs, beginning Wednesday, would be played at home.
“We felt that we would match up better to Wayne since we are a good three-point shooting team, and they play a strict defense,” Dulas said. “We doubled on the posts and had excellent rotation to get a hand in the shooter’s face. I think this allowed for the lower percentage shooting. We really focus on our defense and know that we need to step up in big games to be able to give ourselves a chance.”
The game came down to communication on the court, and the Warriors wanted to prove they could play anyone in the league, said Dulas.
Dulas led the offensive charge for WSU, netting 14 points, including four shots from beyond the arc. She also corralled six rebounds and dished out four assists in the win.
Wells added 12 points and passed out four assists while Wolff chipped in 11 of her own.
The Warriors shot lights-out from deep, hitting 11 of their 22 attempts from behind the 3-point line. Defensively, WSU limited the Augustana offense to just 34 percent from the field and 29 percent from 3-point land.
“Every team plays different defenses and try taking away certain players or areas of the floor and offensively you have to adjust and recognize counters to the defense. There are no secrets this time of year because you have played every team at least once during the conference schedule and there exists 29 game films,” said coach Scott Ballard. “It comes down to being a great competitor mentally and physically and consistently executing fundamentals. Our defense and rebounding have been constants for us and we need to work on being more consistent on offense and not having long periods of time where we don’t score.”
WSU is 19-10 overall on the season and 13-9 in conference play. The Warriors will hit the hardwood on Wednesday Feb. 27th when it squares off against Minnesota Duluth in the first round of the NSIC Tournament.
“I think that we just need to keep playing within ourselves and bring the passion on Wednesday and it will set us up for an awesome run in playoffs,” Dulas added. “We have a lot of experience with playoffs before and I know the team buckles down during playoffs. I’m excited to see what will happen!”
Contact Sam at [email protected].
