Box Score Wayne State 76 Minnesota Duluth 70

            Wayne State tied a season-high going 30 of 34 at the free throw line as the Wildcats held off Minnesota Duluth 76-70 in Northern Sun Conference women's basketball action played Saturday evening at Rice Auditorium in Wayne.  The host Wildcats, who are 122-13 in Rice Auditorium over the last nine seasons, are now 18-6 and 12-4 in the NSIC South, while UMD slips to 11-8 and 8-7 in league play.
            Both teams shot 50 percent in the first quarter, but the Wildcats went a perfect 10 for 10 at the free throw line in the first quarter, to build a 24-15 first quarter lead.
            Neither team shot the ball well in the second quarter as WSC was just 3 of 9 compared to 5 of 17 for UMD.  After the 'Cats built an 11-point lead at 35-24 on two Paige Ballinger free throws with 2:59 to go in the half, UMD closed the half with three straight points from Allison Olley to make the halftime score 35-27.
            Both teams scored 19 points in the third quarter.  A Maggie Schulte 3-pointer gave WSC its biggest lead of the night at 51-39 with 2:21 to play in the third quarter.
            The Bulldogs then scored seven straight and trimmed the Wildcat lead to eight at the end of the third quarter 54-46.
            UMD got as close as three early in the fourth quarter at 56-53, but WSC responded with a 7-0 run and pushed the led back to 10 at 63-53 following an Erin Norling three-point play with 7:12 to play.
            Two Maggie Schulte free throws at the 3:14 mark increased Wayne State's lead to 69-58.  UMD got within five several times but WSC sealed the victory with free throws late for a 76-70 victory.
            Ballinger led the Wildcats in scoring with 20 points, going 14 of 15 at the charity stripe.  She also led WSC on the glass with nine rebounds.  Norling and Schulte each contributed 14 points in the Wildcat win.
            Wayne State shot an even 50 percent for the game, making 21 of 42 shots.  WSC was 4 for 12 from 3-point range and matched a season-high by canning 30 of 34 free throws (88.2%).
            Sarah Grow and Emma Boehm each scored 14 points for Minnesota Duluth with Katie Stark adding 13.
            Minnesota Duluth was 27 of 62 from the field (43.5%), including 5 of 16 behind the arc.  The Bulldogs were 11 for 17 at the free throw stripe.
            UMD held a 31-27 edge in rebounding over the Wildcats and outscored WSC in the paint 38-26.  WSC had 21 turnovers in the game, three more than UMD. 
            Ballinger had four of Wayne State's 13 assists and record two blocks while Schulte had five steals.
            Wayne State is on the road next weekend, playing at Bemidji State Friday night at 6 p.m. and Minnesota Crookston Saturday for a 4 p.m. contest.