BOX SCORE
ABERDEEN, S.D. – The Northern State University women's basketball team would make some very good artists, because they spent a lot of time and had great success in the paint Saturday in defeating the visiting Minnesota-Crookston Golden Eagles 63-56 at Wachs Arena in Aberdeen, S.D.
The win moves the Wolves back to even on the season at 10-10, and improves their Northern Sun record to 6-7, giving head coach Curt Fredrickson his 666th win of his career.
The Wolves used some smothering defense in holding their opponents to 31.3% shooting on the night while taking away any possibilities of scoring inside. With that part of the court taken away, the visitors were forced to launch 26 three-point attempts, and only connected on nine (34.6%).
The Wolves however shot 24-56 from the floor (42.9%) and used their height advantage inside in racking up a 42-14 advantage down on the block despite having 16 turnovers on the night. As a team the Wolves grabbed the rebounding advantage 43-37 and blocked seven Golden Eagle shots, three apiece from Jodi Reinschmidt and Krista Rabenberg.
The Wolves took a 27-23 advantage into halftime despite only shooting 33.3% in the first half. With 26 of the Wolves 42 points in the paint coming after the break, the second half was a very different story for the Wolves. They shot 51.7% from the floor (15-29) including 2-5 from three-point range. They also made 13 of their 15 free throw attempts, taking advantage of the free opportunities given to them by UMC.
The Wolves built up a lead as much as 14 points at one point in the second half, and a late run by the Golden Eagles brought the game back to under a ten-point difference.
Junior Jodi Reinschmidt led the squad with a game-high 18 points and tied for the team and game-high in rebounds with 10. Her fourth double double effort of the year was added to by three blocks and two assists in 36 minutes on the court.
Sophomore Jenna Higgins notched a season-high 17 points on 7-8 shooting, including 3-3 from the free-throw line. She added four rebounds, an assist, and one block in 21 minutes of action.
The Wolves are on the road next weekend after a four-game homestand, and will make the long trip to Winona State and Upper Iowa. The Wolves will face the Warriors on Friday and the Peacocks on Saturday. The Wolves defeated both teams in Aberdeen earlier this season.
Northern State University is an NCAA Division II affiliated school participating in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference and is located in Aberdeen, South Dakota.
**GO WOLVES**
