#22 Wayne State 79 Sioux Falls 71

            Wayne State College used double-doubles from Ellen Hansen and Jordan Spencer along with 62 percent shooting from the 3-point line as the #22 Wildcats held off Sioux Falls Friday evening for a 79-71 Northern Sun Conference women's basketball win at the Stewart Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.  The Wildcats remain unbeaten at 9-0 overall and 2-0 in the NSIC while handing the host Cougars their first loss of the season at 5-1 overall and 1-1 in league play.
            The Wildcats got off to a quick start, taking a 10-0 lead in the first 2:10 of the game thanks to baskets by Jordan Spencer and Shantel Lehmann along with treys from Ashton Yossi and Ellen Hansen.  Wayne State built 12-point leads at 18-6 and 22-10, but the host Cougars caught fire and made a run at WSC midway through the first half.
            Sioux Falls held WSC without a basket for nearly five minutes and tied the score at 28-28 with 4:13 to go before halftime.  The Cougars then scored the final five points of the first half and took a 35-33 lead at intermission thanks to a pair of free throws by Teagan Molden.
            Early in the second half, Wayne State took control thanks to a 14-3 run that turned a 39-38 Sioux Falls lead into a 52-42 Wildcat advantage with 13:25 to play following back-to-back 3's from Hansen and Addy Roller.
            The Wildcats built a pair of 11-point leads until the Cougars made one final run at WSC.  With WSC leading 60-49 with 7:21 remaining, Sioux Falls went on a 13-4 run and pulled within two at 64-62 on a 3-pointer by Taylor Varsho with 3:08 to play.
            Sioux Falls got within two again at 67-65 on a Laura Johnson trey with 2:14 to play, but WSC got a three point play from Jordan Spencer, a layup by Yossi and two free throws from Roller to push the lead back to nine at 74-65 with 49 seconds to play and WSC made five of six free throws down the stretch to stave off the Cougars for a 79-71 win.
            Wayne State was led in scoring by junior forward Jordan Spencer with 22 points and 11 rebounds for her third double-double of the year.  She was 9 of 18 from the field and also added three steals.  Senior forward Ellen Hansen notched her second straight double-double with 19 points and 13 rebounds, matching a career-high.  Also reaching double digits for Wayne State were Millie Niggeling and Ashton Yossi with 14 and 13 points respectively.
            The Wildcats made 27 of 58 shots from the field for 46.6 percent and sank 10 of 16 3-point shots for 62.5 percent.  WSC was 15 for 25 at the charity stripe for 60 percent.
            Sioux Falls also had four players in double figures, led by Shelby Hemmann's 17 points.  Laura Johnson scored 15 followed by Taylor Varsho's 13 points and Jaicee Ulmer with 10.
            The Cougars were 24 of 55 from the floor for 43.6 percent, going 8 of 16 behind the arc and 15 for 23 at the foul line. 
            Wayne State held a 38-34 advantage in rebounding over Sioux Falls thanks to Hansen's 13 caroms and 11 more from Spencer.  Laura Johnson led Sioux Falls on the glass with nine boards.
            WSC had 11 turnovers to 12 on Sioux Falls.  Sophomore guard Addy Roller handed out six of Wayne State's 15 assists with Ellen Hansen adding four. 
            Wayne State will conclude their Northern Sun Conference road trip visiting Southwest Minnesota State Saturday at 5 p.m. in Marshall, Minnesota.