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Crookston, Minn. – Northern State never trailed on Saturday afternoon as they cruised to a 75-60 win at Minnesota Crookston. A career night for Laurie Rogers' kept the Wolves hopes alive for hosting a NSIC Tournament contest in Wachs Arena, as Northern remains tied for fourth place in the North Division with only two games remaining in the regular season.
 
THE QUICK DETAILS
Final Score: NSU 75, UMC 60
Records: NSU 15-11 (10-10 NSIC), UMC 10-16 (9-11 NSIC)
Attendance: 399
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Alayna Benike and Rianna Fillipi powered a 9-2 scoring run to break the game open midway through the opening period (15-7), forcing Minnesota Crookston to call an early timeout
• A jumper by Kailee Oliverson capped a 10-0 scoring run for Northern to finish the first quarter up 25-9
• Oliverson and Rogers extended the scoring run to 14-2 in the opening minutes of the second quarter and pushed the NSU lead to 18 points (29-11)
• The Golden Eagles were able to chip away at the Wolves lead in the second period as they shot 46.2 percent in the period compared to 29.4 percent for NSU, however Northern State took a 38-24 lead into the halftime break after a Benike 3-pointer with only 12 second remaining in the half
• The opening minutes of the third quarter were back-and-forth and UMC was momentarily able to get within ten points (46-36) with 3:19 remaining in the period, however a 14-6 NSU scoring run in the final three minutes extended the lead back to 18 points (60-42) with only one period remaining
• Crookston opened the final quarter of play with five consecutive points and momentarily cut the lead back down to 11 again, however jumpers by Rogers and Oliverson put the game out of reach and secured a weekend sweep up north for Northern State
• Northern State shot 12-14 (85.7%) from the free throw line in the contest with Rogers shooting 7-8, Oliverson 4-4, and Fillipi 1-2 from the charity stripe
• The Wolves once again won the turnover battle, committing eight turnovers while forcing 12 for the Golden Eagles; NSU committed ten or fewer turnovers for the 11^th time this season and improved to 8-3 in those games
• Northern State improved to 11-2 when leading at the halftime break this season, while also improving to 7-0 this season when scoring 70 or more points
• Rogers scored a career-high 23 points in the win on 8-11 shooting from the field and 7-8 from the free throw line, it was her 17^th game of the season in double figures and third consecutive
• Oliverson recorded her sixth double-double of the season (12 points, 11 rebounds) and second consecutive; she scored in double figures for the 20^th time this season and ninth consecutive
• Fillipi scored in double figures for the sixth straight game and 15^th this season, while Benike scored in double figures for only the fourth time this season

 NORTHERN STATE STATISTICAL STANDOUTS
Laurie Rogers: 23 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 block
Rianna Fillipi: 19 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal
Kailee Oliverson: 12 points, 11 rebounds, 1 assist, 4 blocks
Alayna Benike: 11 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal
 
UP NEXT
Northern State looks to the final week of the regular season next weekend as they travel to UMary on Thursday evening before hosting Minot State for Senior Night on Saturday. The Wolves and Marauders are scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off on Thursday at the McDowell Activity Center in Bismarck, North Dakota. Northern then concludes the regular season at 6 p.m. on Saturday in Wachs Arena against the Beavers.