MSUM WBB fell short against Concordia-St. Paul to conclude the 2022-23 season

The 2022-23 season was filled with many ups and downs for the MSUM women’s basketball team. The Dragons are a youth filled team that spent the majority of the season learning how to play at the collegiate level.

10 players made an appearance in MSUM’s NSIC Tournament First Round game against Concordia-St. Paul. Four of those players were freshmen and only one was a senior.

 

First Quarter

The opening quarter was back and forth with both teams playing solid defense, but also struggling on the offensive end. The Dragons turned the ball over six times, while the Golden Bears committed five turnovers in the quarter. Only one player knocked down multiple shots in the first 10 minutes. That player was CSP’s Leah Dengerud who hit both of her three-point attempts, scoring six points. The Golden Bears led 12-9 after the first quarter.

 

Second Quarter

CSP dominated the second quarter making 11 shots in 19 attempts (57.9%), while the Dragons only made three field goals on 12 shots (25%). The Golden Bears capitalized on five offensive rebounds and three forced turnovers to get easy buckets and increase their lead. CSP was led by star junior Ally Gietzel’s 15 points (13 in second quarter) and four rebounds (all in second quarter) along with freshman forward Raegan Alexander’s seven points in the quarter. Mariah McKeever was pacing the Dragons with nine points, three rebounds, and two steals. McKeever was MSUM’s only player with multiple buckets in the first half. The Golden Bears outscored the Dragons 24-9 in the quarter and took a commanding 36-18 lead into the half.

 

Third Quarter

The Dragons came out of the locker room with a sense of confidence and began the quarter on an 8-0 run. McKeever had another solid quarter scoring seven of her 15 points. In the Third Moorhead six shots in 16 attempts (37.5%) compared the Golden Bears struggling three of 15 from the field (20%). In total MSUM would end up winning the quarter outsourcing CSP 15-6, but still trailed 42-33 heading into the final quarter.

 

Fourth Quarter

In the final frame MSUM’s luck ran out as CSP went shot for shot with the Dragons. The Golden Bears would outscore Moorhead 20-17 in the quarter. McKeever added five more points to her game-high 21 points. Freshman forward and Kindred, N.D. native Terryn Johnson showed some growth late in the game scoring four points in the quarter, ending the game with 10 points. The final dagger was CSP’s 12 points from Alexander in the final 10 minutes. The Golden Bears prevailed with a 62-50 victory over MSUM.

 

Throughout the game Concordia-St. Paul capitalized on points off turnovers (20-9), points in the paint (30-22), and second chance points (15-5) , outscoring MSUM in all three categories. The Golden Bears also did a great job on the glass with a stellar 13 offensive rebounds leading to their 15 second chance points in a 12 point game.

The Dragons did a good job of not panicking in the second half and played a full 40 minutes. MSUM could have packed up shop at the half when trailing by 18 points, but that’s not what this team is about. They are only losing one player this offseason in Peyton Boom to graduation. Don’t get me wrong Boom was the heart and soul of this team, and she will be missed. To that same points, Boom took this team under her wing all season long and taught players like Mariah McKeever and Natalie Jens how to carry on the traditioned legacy of MSUM women’s basketball.

MSUM finished the season with a record of 14-13. One final note is head coach Karla Nelson currently has 399 career wins. The milestone win may not have come in the conference tournament like she and many others had hoped, so that 400th career win celebration will have to wait until next season.

Concordia-St. Paul will now take on the NSIC North champion Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs in the tournament semifinals on Saturday, Feb. 26 at 11 a.m. in Sioux Falls.

 

Total Stats

MSUM

FG: 19-51 (37.3%)

3PT: 5-13 (38.5%)

FT: 7-8 (87.5)

 

Concordia-St. Paul

FG: 26-60 (43.4%)

3PT: 7-17 (41.2%)

FT: 3-10 (30%)

 

Player Stats

MSUM

Mariah McKeever: 21 pts, 6 reb, 3 stl

Terryn Johnson: 10 pts, 2 reb, 1 ast

Natalie Jens: 8 pts, 6 reb

Olivia Skibiel: 5 pts, 1 reb

Peyton Boom: 2 pts, 6 reb, 4 ast

Payton Bang: 2 pts, 5 reb, 1 ast

Kaila Youngs: 2 pts, 1 reb

 

Concordia-St. Paul

Ally Gietzel: 19 pts, 7 reb, 4 ast

Raegan Alexander: 19 pts, 6 reb, 1 ast

Leah Dengerud: 8 pts, 3 reb, 2 blk

Jalyn Shaw: 7 pts, 4 reb, 3 stl

Megan Gamble: 7 pts, 5 reb, 2 ast

Makayla Johnson: 2 pts, 6 reb, 1 ast