DULUTH, Minn. – With the game tied at 65 with less than one minute to play, Minnesota Duluth's Grace Counts drained her third 3-pointer of the game, which eventually became the dagger as the Mustangs fall victim to the Bulldogs 69-65. SMSU falls to 8-7 on the season and 6-4 in the NSIC, while UMD goes to 12-2 overall and 10-0 in NSIC play.
The Mustangs were led by
Kylan Gerads with 20 points, her fourth game of 20 or more this season, shooting 7-10 from the floor with six rebounds and two assists.
Nicole Maenke added 13 points shooting 6-6 from the charity stripe.
Maddie Thorfinnson tied her career- high with three 3-pointers and 12 points overall, and
Elizabeth Wagner tied her career-high with eight rebounds, leading the team in that category.
SMSU as a team shot 46 percent from the floor (21-46), 40 percent from beyond the arc (6-15) and 17-20 from the charity stripe. UMD, led by Grace Counts off the bench with 19 points, shot 47 percent from the field (27-58), 35 percent from 3-pointers (6-17), and 60 percent from the free throw line (9-15). The Bulldogs outrebounded the Mustangs 33-27 with 12 offensive boards compared to SMSU's four.
In the opening 10 minutes, the Mustangs struggled to get going from behind the 3-point line, going 0-5 in the opening quarter. Despite the struggles from deep, the Mustangs were 5-6 from the rest of the floor, and 6-8 from the free throw line, with
Natalie Nielsen scoring six of her eight points in the opening quarter. UMD were 8-18 from the field and ended the first quarter up 21-16.
The Mustangs improved in the second quarter, shooting 50 percent from the field, and making both 3-point attempts. In the opening two minutes of the quarter, the Mustangs went on an 8-2 run to lead the game 24-23, the last lead the Mustangs would have in the game, as the Bulldogs would regain the lead, and entered the second half with a 37-35 lead over SMSU.
In the third quarter, the Bulldogs opened the floodgates, shooting 58 percent from the floor (7-12) and outscoring the Mustangs 16-10 while SMSU shot 30 percent from the field, despite going 2-2 from beyond the arc. UMD benefitted from outrebounding the Mustangs 9-4, and lead going into the fourth quarter 53-45.
SMSU turned a corner in the fourth quarter, shooting 54 percent from the field in the last 10 minutes of the contest, and eventually tied the game at 63 and 65 with less than one minute remaining. But a Grace Counts 3-pointer gave the Bulldogs a 68-65 lead with 14 seconds left in the game, and after the Mustangs attempted a quick two pointer that went in-and-out, the Bulldogs were the eventual winners 69-65.
The Mustangs are back in the R/A Facility next week for a four-game home stretch, facing Minot State on Friday, Jan. 16, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets and more information can be found at smsumustangs.com/sports/womens-basketball.
