Women's Basketball
Women's Basketball
NSIC Basketball: UMD 68, St. Cloud State 65
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL; Bulldog Comeback Downs Huskies, 68-65
Friday, February 6, 2009
Talisha Barlow |
St. Cloud, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Duluth staged a second half comeback to defeat St. Cloud State University 68-65 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) women’s basketball action Friday night at Halenbeck Hall.
The Bulldogs, ranked sixth in the Central Region improved their record to 12-9 overall and 9-5 in the NSIC. The Huskies, ranked fifth in the region poll dropped to 17-4 overall and 10-4 in the NSIC. St. Cloud State will host Bemidji State Saturday night at Halenbeck Hall.
Minnesota Duluth overcame a 21-point deficit, poor first half shooting, and foul trouble to mount a comeback and gain a crucial league win.
Minnesota Duluth sophomore Kelsey Hewitt scored a double double with a game high 23 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Bulldogs. Junior Jheri Booker added 22 points and first year Lindsay Miller dropped in ten points. The Bulldogs improved their shooting in the second half, hitting 54.5 percent of their shots and finished the game at 40.3 percent from the field.
St. Cloud State was led by sophomore guard Talisha Barlow (Little Canada) with 20 points and seven rebounds. Sophomore center Rachel Booth (Minneapolis) knocked down 13 points and six rebounds, and senior guard Katie Tacheny (Woodbury) added 12 points and four assists. The Huskies shot 53.6 percent in the first half but cooled off in the second half to finish at 42.6 percent. St. Cloud State shot an uncharacteristic 28.6 percent from three point range.
The Bulldogs overcame a 21 point deficit in the first half, trailed 39-23 at half-time, and opened the second half on fire, outscoring the Huskies , 23-7 to tie the game, 46-46 with 11:56 on the clock. A Kelsey Hewitt layup capped the run that included eight points from Jheri Booker and seven from Hewitt. The Bulldogs took the lead on the next basket, a Lindsay Miller jumper to set up a closely contested final 11 minutes of the game.
Four times in the next four minutes, the Huskies and Bulldogs tied the game. St. Cloud State’s Aaryn Booker tied the game at 48-48 on a free throw. The game was tied 50-50 on two Katie Tacheny free throws and again at 52-52 on a Talisha Barlow jumper with 7:43 on the clock.
A jumper by St. Cloud State’s Anna Cashman put the Huskies up 54-52. Two Rachel Booth free throws and a jumper from Talisha Barlow put the Huskies up 60-54 at 5:37. A 10-3 run by the Bulldogs that included baskets from Jheri Booker, Kelsey Hewitt and Jordanne Even gave UMD a 64-63 lead with 1:17 left in the game. Two free throws from Hewitt, the first rolled around the rim and in and the second swished the net, extended the lead to three.
Katie Tacheny worked hard to score a layup with :29 seconds left and the Huskies called a timeout trailing by one point with :28 seconds remaining. The Huskies fouled Shelly Stemper on the in bounds play and Stemper made two free throws in a one and one situation to put the Bulldogs up three, 68-65.
With :13 seconds on the clock, the Huskies missed two three-point attempts and two-point jumper but an offensive rebound gave the Huskies the ball with one half of a second on the clock. St. Cloud State called timeout to set up the play that could put the game into overtime. The Huskies ran the play, found the open player but the three-point attempt hit iron, and the game ended in a 68-65 UMD win.
St. Cloud State jumped out to a 12-4 lead eight minutes into the first half as the Bulldogs had a cold shooting hand in the opening frame. The Huskies continued to roll with an 18 point lead at the 8:42 mark when Rachel Booth nailed a three-point basket. A 6-2 run for the Bulldogs dropped the lead to 27-13 at the 4:39 mark.
The Huskies rattled off seven points to UMD’s one to take a 35-14 lead at the 3:07 mark, the largest lead of the game at 21 points. Three free throws by Kelsey Hewitt, two jumpers from Jheri Booker and a basket by Shelly Stemper marked a 9-4 run for the visiting team. The Huskies held a 16 point lead, 39-23 at the half. The sophomore tandem of Talisha Barlow and Rachel Booth combined for 21 first half points as Barlow knocked down 11 and Booth ten. The Huskies shot 53.6 percent from the field as compared to 26.5 percent shooting for the Bulldogs. Booker with nine points and Hewitt with eight led the Bulldogs in first half scoring.
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