UNK Heads West Next Week
Kearney, Neb. – Redshirt junior forward Shiloh McCool tallied a game-high 17 points and Nebraska Kearney used a big second half to beat Southwest Minnesota State, 67-57, Saturday evening at the Health & Sports Center. The game was part of a MIAA/NSIC "Crossover" Tournament with Northwest Missouri State downing Minnesota Crookston, 70-58, in the early game. Both UNK and Northwest went 2-0 on the weekend. It was a bit of déjà vu early on for the Lopers as the Mustangs shot out of the gates to the tune of 22-9. Last year in Maryville, a more veteran SMSU squad beat UNK, 76-66, as part of a 7-2 start. The Mustangs ended the opening quarter with 22 points thanks to 8 of 15 (54%) shooting which included a 3 of 5 effort from behind the arc. They tallied only 35 points the rest of the way, finishing 7 of 20 from three-point land and 22 of 57 overall (39%). "Our second half defense was good," said UNK head coach Carrie Eighmey. "We'll see (the dribble drive) quite a bit. There's a lot of teams that run and it's nothing we haven't seen before but hadn't seen it much this year. It hits you when you first get out there and then you get settled in." UNK trailed by 11 early in the second quarter and by seven, 34-27, at the break. A 13-5 third quarter closing run gave the Lopers the lead for good and made the score 45-44. The spurt featured a second chance bucket by McCool (Pleasant Hill, Ia.) and four made freebies. The Loper momentum continued in the fourth as they opened a 56-44 lead just three minutes in. South Dakota senior Klaire Kirsch tallied back-to-back buckets to make it a double-digit lead and SMSU didn't get closer than 10 points the rest of the night. "We kind of switched what we were doing offensively. It gave us better spacing, movement and opportunities for post touches," said Eighmey. "Shiloh and Maegan Holt were super aggressive posting up and we were able to get them touches. That also created some perimeter opportunities." McCool reached her point total by going 8 of 14 from the field. She also had four assists and nine rebounds over 31 minutes of action. Next, Kirsch (13) and South Dakota junior guard Trinity Law (11) reached double digits in points as they combined to go 9 of 17 from the floor. Kirsch also had two of UNK's seven blocks with Law one of four Lopers to make two free throws. Finally, Mullen sophomore wing Samantha Moore was again big off the bench to the tune of 10 points, six caroms and three times. SMSU saw starters Sam Wall and Hannah Parsley score 11 with Bri Stoltzman at 10 points and six boards. The Lopers head to Chadron State (Thurs.) and Colorado School of Mines (Sat.) next week.
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