MOORHEAD — Minnesota State Moorhead hung with No. 16-ranked Minnesota Duluth into the second half Friday night at Alex Nemzek Fieldhouse, but senior Brooke Olson and the Bulldogs proved too much.
Olson scored a game-high 25 points to power UMD to a 70-62 victory in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference women's basketball.
“Brooke Olson took advantage of our youth in the post and did a nice job and that’s what she’s supposed to do," said Dragons head coach Karla Nelson. "She’s an All-American for a reason.”
The 6-foot-2 Olson shot 11-for-17 from the floor and also grabbed nine rebounds for league-leading UMD, which was coming off its first NSIC loss last Saturday against Augustana. The Bulldogs (19-3, 16-1) are in first place in the North Division and overall league standings.
“They’re a really great team. They were hitting really great shots," Olson said. “It kind of made us a little bit nervous.”
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Junior guard Mariah McKeever paced the Dragons with 19 points, including 5-for-7 shooting from 3-point range. Her buzzer-beating 3-pointer cut the UMD lead to 59-52 heading into the final quarter.
The Bulldogs, however, started the fourth quarter on an 11-3 run to diffuse MSUM's momentum. Olson scored six points during that rally, including a layup for a 70-55 lead with 2 minutes, 50 seconds remaining.
“I think I have a little bit more of a speed advantage against them so I just used that," Olson said. "I have guards that are really able to pass the ball.”
The Bulldogs shot 52% from the field in the opening half to build a 32-26 halftime lead. Olson led the way with 12 points on 5-for-7 shooting from the floor, including two 3-pointers.
MSUM shot 18% from the floor in the first quarter, but responded with an 18-point second quarter to stay close. Sophomore guard Natalie Jens paced the Dragons with nine points through the first two quarters. Jens finished with 16 points.
The 5-foot-7 Jens sank a 3-pointer that cut the UMD lead to 32-26 with 20 seconds to play in the second quarter. MSUM shot 30% (9 of 30) from the floor in the opening 20 minutes.
“Our effort is good. Some of it is we’re youthful and people take advantage of that," Nelson said. “We certainly can play better and at a higher level. I see us growing and we need to keep doing it.”
UMD 13 32 59 70
MSUM 8 26 52 62
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UMD (19-3, 16-1 NSIC): Olson 11-17 2-4 25, Rhoades 8-9 1-2 19, Granica 2-7 3-5 8, Nelson 0-2 0-0 0, Thiesen 4-8 0-0 10, Hakamaki 0-4 2-2 2, Karge 3-3 0-0 6, Tschida 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 28-50 7-10 70.
MSUM (10-11, 7-10): Johnson 3-3 1-3 7, Skibiel 1-7 2-2 5, Boom 4-10 1-1 9, McKeever 7-15 0-0 19, Jens 5-13 3-4 16, Bang 0-2 0-0 0, Youngs 0-0 0-0 0, Ratz 0-0 0-0 0, Knight 2-4 2-2 6, Keske 0-1 0-0 0, Kingland 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 22-55 9-12 62.
3-point goals: UMD 7-20 (Olson 2-4, Rhoades 2-3, Granica 1-3, Nelson 0-1, Thiesen 2-6, Hakamaki 0-3), MSUM 9-22 (Skibiel 1-6, Boom 0-2, McKeever 5-7, Jens 3-6, Keske 0-1). Total fouls: UMD 8, MSUM 14. Rebounds: UMD 35 (Olson 9), MSUM 24 (Skibiel 8). Assists: UMD 16 (Thiesen 6), MSUM 9 (Boom 4). Turnovers: UMD 18, MSUM 13.
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