Women Bounce Back
Losing streak ends
Laura Johnson
Issue date: 2/3/10 Section: Sports
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SMSU first beat Minnesota, Duluth 75-71 on Friday, then topped Bemidji State 73-63 Saturday on Hawaiian Night.
In the win over Bemidji, Miley Hunziker scored a career-high 18 points. Laura Kramer had a career best also, with 15 rebounds.
With the wins, SMSU reached 13-7 overall (7-6 NSIC).
The Mustangs beat a tough opponent in UMD, the No. 5 team in the Central Region.
"Coming off of three loses to top teams, we needed to come out with confidence and we played hard through the whole game to help us gain a win," said center Abby Kenealy.
The victory marked the first time the Mustangs beat UMD since the 2001-2002 season. The first basket to start the contest was scored by UMD. However, not a minute later SMSU scored to tie it up. From then on, SMSU continued outscoring and held the lead over UMD by as much as nine with 3:31 left in the half. Guard Taylor Voss helped greatly, shooting 3-of-4 from the three-point line in the first half.
"Our emphasis was more energy, and making baskets early contributed to a good victory," said SMSU head coach Mike Jewett. At halftime the Mustangs led 41-37.
It was a close fight to the finish and the Bulldogs achieved a four-point lead at one point in the second half. A layup by Kenealy turned the lead back to the Mustangs with 7:01 left in the contest. Two free throws by guard Lucia Puchelova sealed the deal for the SMSU win.
"At halftime we discussed the difference between winning and losing, and winning means that mentally all five players on the court are on the same page," said Jewett. "And I think we did a better job of that in the second half."
Three-pointers for both UMD and SMSU were falling both halves. The Mustangs shot 38.1 percent, while the Bulldogs hit on 37.5 percent of their threes. It was UMD who controlled the boards, grabbing 43 rebounds - nine offensive - compared to SMSU's 32. However, it was the Mustangs who only had 12 turnovers, which helped them take the win.
Voss finished the night with 15 points, going 5-of-8 from behind the arc. Tori Fink had a game-high 21 points. Kenealy also finished with 16 points and 6 rebounds.
"Kenealy had a strong game and finished at a greater rate," Jewett said. "She is athletic up and down the court as well as strong underneath the basket."
Megan Stradler held the lead in assists against UMD with eight. Stradler continues to be the leader in assists for SMSU in every game this season.
"This was a good win in a tough stretch of games," Jewett said. "We were able to bounce back from a few losses, which is a credit to the players."
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