#8 Wayne State 67, #17 Northern State 63

#8 Wayne State College turned to the charity stripe to hold off #17 Northern State, 67-63, in Northern Sun Conference women's basketball played Friday evening at Rice Auditorium in Wayne. The Wildcats drained the final seven straight free throws, holding off the comeback bid to complete WSC's eighth straight win. The win improves the Wildcats to 24-2, 17-2 in NSIC play and a two game lead in the conference. Northern State drops to 19-4, 15-4 in conference play.
 
            The Wolves jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead with baskets by Alison Kusler and Sadie Stotesbery before Ellen Hansen and Ashton Yossi drained back-to-back three point baskets to put WSC ahead 6-5 with 17:25 to play in the opening half. Another Yossi trifecta, along with a basket by Millie Niggeling and a pair of Jordan Spencer free throws gave the Wildcats a 13-7 lead just under the 15-minute media timeout.
 
            The Wolves scored the next three buckets to again knot the game at 13-13 with 11:34 in the first frame. The Wildcats tightened up their defense, forcing turnovers on the next two possessions for a six-point swing, highlighted by back-to-back three pointers from Yossi and Kara Powell. But again, NSU closed the gap. Stotesbery and Kusler struck again, pulling Northern State to within three, 21-18 with 6:32 remaining in the opening half.
 
            A 10-0 run—from the shooting hands of Yossi and Niggeling—increased the Wildcat lead to a first-half high 13 points, taking a 31-18 lead at the 4:04 mark. A pair of Niggeling layups were followed by a duet of Yossi trifectas to push the lead into what looked like a run-away going into the locker room.
 
             But Northern State finished the half on a 12-5 run of their own, holding the Wildcats scoreless for three straight minutes before Niggeling drained a three-pointer with just over a minute and Jordan Spencer kissed a layup off the glass as time expired. WSC held onto a 36-30 lead heading into the locker room at the break.
 
            Yossi led the way for WSC in the opening frame with 15 points, finishing the half 5-6 from outside the arc. Niggeling added 11 points, while Sadie Stotesbery of Northern State paced the Wolves with 10 in the opening half. WSC drained 8-10 three pointers in the first half, a stifling 80 percent from downtown.
 
            The two teams traded baskets coming out of the locker room, with WSC striking first on a Shantel Lehmann jumper, answered by a Rachel Krogman layup. Jordan Spencer and Ellen Hansen sandwiched an NSU three-pointer to keep the lead at 8, 43-35, with 17:43 to play.
 
            A pair of WSC turnovers and a missed three-pointer on the next three Wildcat possessions opened the door for a Northern State comeback. A pair of free throws, and back-to-back Rachel Krogman layups pulled NSU to 44-41 with 14:21 to play, before Hansen again drained a three-pointer to extend the lead back up to six.
 
            The Wildcats extended their lead to as many as 11 in the second half, again turning to the hot-hand of Yossi for another trifecta to take the 54-43 lead with just over 10 minutes to play in the game.
 
           It would again be time for the Wolves to go on a run of their own, this time using the charity stripe to throw in seven of nine points in the run and close the WSC lead to just two, 54-52, with 4:50 remaining in the game. Jordan Spencer's pair of free throws extended the lead back to 58-54; advantage Wildcats, with 2:46 to play.
 
            An old-fashioned three point play by Megan Mutchler pulled Northern State back to within one point, trailing 58-57 with 2:31 to play. But Hansen turned the tables, pulling down an offensive rebound and going right back up for the start of her own three-point play, taking a 61-57 Wildcat lead with 1:40 to play.
 
            A pair of free throws by Addy Roller with 57 second s remaining gave WSC a 63-57 edge, forcing Northern State to call a timeout. Megan Mutchler drove to the basket coming out of the timeout to pull NSU within four, before Roller was fouled and again sank a pair of free throws to extend the lead back to six.
 
            A pair of Northern State jumpers pulled the game to a two-point game, WSC holding onto a 65-63 edge with seven seconds remaining in the game. Another pair of Hansen free throws secured the win for Wayne State, 67-63.
 
            Wayne State was led on the night by Ashton Yossi and Ellen Hansen, who scored 18 and 17, respectively. Nillie Miggeling again scored in double figures, contributing 13 points. Jordan Spencer led the team in rebounds, pulling down 10 boards to go with her 10 points on the night.
 
            WSC finished the night shooting 75 percent from the charity stripe, scoring their final seven points from the free throw line. Roller and Jordan Spencer finished the night 4-4 from the line, while Hansen was 4-6. The Wildcats shot 55 percent from beyond the arc, knocking down 11-20 shots, led by Yossi's 6-10.  
 
            Northern State was led by Rachel Krogman, who scored a game-high 20 points. Alison Kusler (16), Sadie Stotesbery (12) and Megan Mutchler (11) each contributed double-digits for the Wolves. NSU shot 38.3 percent from the floor (23-60), but did win the rebounding battle 39-28.
 
            The Wildcats will be at home again Saturday afternoon hosting MSU Moorhead in a 4 p.m. contest at Rice Auditorium.