MOORHEAD — Minnesota State Moorhead got strong post play from Megan Hintz and Madi Green and sprinkled in some perimeter play and playmaking from Jacky Volkert and Kiley Borowicz.
That combination of versatility helped spark the Dragons to a 71-57 victory against Wayne State on Friday in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference women's basketball before 987 fans at Alex Nemzek Fieldhouse.
"We stuck with it and we hung together so that was good," said Dragons head coach Karla Nelson. "Even when it doesn't go well, I thought we hung together."
The Dragons (15-2, 11-0 NSIC) have won 13 consecutive games and remained undefeated in conference play. Hintz, Volkert and Green combined for 50 points, shooting 60 percent (21 of 35) from the field. The 5-foot-8 Borowicz added nine points, eight rebounds, five assists and three steals.
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"She created a lot of stuff on the court. That was fun to watch," Nelson said of Borowicz. "I felt she impacted the game in so many other ways."
The Dragons started the fourth quarter on a 15-2 run to push their lead to 22 points. The 5-foot-7 Volkert, who finished with 16 points, scored two baskets during that stretch. Hintz capped the surge with a 3-point play that gave MSUM a 67-45 lead with 4 minutes, 48 seconds to play in the fourth. The 6-foot-2 Hintz finished with 21 points and 12 rebounds.
"I think we've been good at finishing games," said Volkert, who also added four assists. "That's a strength and what we need to keep doing to win games."
The Dragons closed the first half on a 10-2 run to surge into the lead for good. Hintz scored three baskets during that momentum-changing stretch. Her basket off a rebound with 1 second to play in the second quarter gave MSUM a 36-28 lead.
The 6-foot-2 Green had 13 points and seven rebounds in the first half. Hintz had 12 points and six rebounds in the opening 20 minutes.
"I thought Madi Green started off hot. That really kept us going," Nelson said. "I think there is a lot of versatility in our post game. We can score in the paint and outside, pretty athletic."
The Dragons haven't lost since Nov. 18, a 61-54 setback at Northern Michigan. MSUM is in first place in the North Division. The Dragons play host to South Division-leader Augustana (17-3, 9-2) at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Alex Nemzek Fieldhouse.
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"We haven't talked about the streak at all. Everybody else is," Nelson said. "I think we are just so focused on the game at hand. ... Our league is too good."
WSC 18 28 43 57
MSUM 15 36 52 71
WSC (11-6, 6-5 NSIC): Lowe 2-4 0-0 4, Norling 6-14 6-7 20, Busse 2-11 0-0 4, Larson 4-8 0-0 9, Bongartz 3-10 1-2 8, Vesey 1-7 0-0 2, Mlinar 1-1 1-1 3, Hammer 0-4 0-0 0, Ivester 0-0 0-0 0, Wangerin 1-1 1-2 3, Reiner 1-2 2-2 4. Totals 21-62 11-14 57.
MSUM (15-2, 11-0): Fech 1-4 0-0 3, Volkert 7-12 2-2 16, Borowicz 3-12 3-4 9, Green 5-8 2-4 13, Hintz 9-15 3-3 21, Steichen 0-2 0-0 0, Thuringer 0-0 0-0 0, Schlader 0-0 0-0 0, Boom 1-2 2-2 4, Herbranson 0-0 2-2 2, Liegel 1-6 0-0 3, Brown 0-3 0-0 0. Totals 27-64 14-17 71.
3-point goals: WSC 4-16 (Norling 2-3, Busse 0-5, Larson 1-2, Bongartz 1-1, Vesey 0-4, Hammer 0-1), MSUM 3-19 (Fech 1-1, Volkert 0-3, Borowicz 0-6, Green 1-2, Hintz 0-1, Steichen 0-2, Liegel 1-4). Total fouls: WSC 15, MSUM 19. Rebounds: WSC 37 (Bongartz 9), MSUM 44 (Hintz 12). Assists: WSC 10 (Hammer 4), MSUM 12 (Borowicz 5). Turnovers: WSC 12 (Busse 4), MSUM 12 (Fech 4). A-987.
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