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| Bri Zabel |
(Crookston, Minn.)- The University of Minnesota, Crookston (UMC) Women’s Basketball team opened the 2008-09 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) season in dramatic fashion against the University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD). The Golden Eagles down early, rallied to force overtime and outplayed the Bulldogs through the five minute overtime to take the 70-64 victory.
Minnesota Duluth flew out of the gates, taking a 14-2 lead through the first 8:30 of the game. UMC closed out the first half with a 19-11 run of their own to go into the break trailing 21-25. In the second half, the Golden Eagles slowly chipped away at the Duluth lead until four minutes remained in the game when Minnesota, Crookston went on a 14-5 run led by
Gina Jaroszewski (F, 5-11, SO, Moorhead, Minn.) who scored all of her 14 points in the second half. With 47 seconds remaining in the game,
Diana Taddy (G, 5-8, SO, Two Rivers, Wis.) dished a pass in the paint to
Lauren Kessler (C, 6-1, FR, Albertville, Minn.) who sank the jumper to send the game into overtime. The extra session saw the Golden Eagles explode, shooting 60% from the field and outscoring Duluth 12-6 to take the NSIC conference home-opener at Lysaker Gymnasium. UMC’s largest lead of the game was six points, which came with five seconds left in overtime.
The spark that ignited the Golden Eagles all night was
Bri Zabel (F, 6-0, SO, Northfield, Minn.). Zabel scored 11 of her game-high 17 points in the first half and was instrumental in the 14-5 run to close out the first half. Through the first 20 minutes of play, she was 3-6 from the floor and 5-5 at the free-throw line. Zabel played big on the glass, picking up 11 rebounds for her second double-double of the season in just under 40 minutes of play.
Jamie Zelinsky (G, 5-11, SO, Brooklyn Park, Minn.) scored 14 points, grabbed five clutch rebounds and more importantly than her shooting, dished out six assists. Jaroszewski tallied 14 points all in the second half and grabbed five rebounds.
Ana Garcia (G, 5-7, SO, Minnetonka, Minn.) was generous with the ball all night, delivering a career seven assists on the night.
Minnesota Duluth was led by Michelle Stemper’s 12 points and eight rebounds. Kelsey Hewitt added a double-double for the Bulldogs with 11 points and 11 rebounds. She was followed by Vanessa Ostergaard’s 10 points and Monica Mayry’s nine points and game-high nine assists.
The University of Minnesota, Crookston is 4-2 overall and 1-0 in the NSIC. Minnesota Duluth drops to 2-3 overall and 0-1 in NSIC play. The Golden Eagles return to Lysaker Gymnasium tomorrow night to host NSIC foe Bemidji State University. Game time is set for 6 p.m. The F-M Acro team will be performing at halftime of the men’s game tomorrow night. Bring the entire family out for an exciting night.
For more information, visit the Golden Eagle Athletics website at: www.goldeneaglesports.com.
The University of Minnesota, Crookston is a NCAA Division II Institution and a member of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC). Golden Eagle Hockey is a member of the Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association (MCHA). The Golden Eagle Equestrian team is a member of the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA).
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