BY AUSTIN RUSH | Statesman Correspondent The Bulldog women's basketball team earned their first win of the season Friday night at Romano gym, downing Minnesota Crookston 71-65.
In a game that saw 11 lead changes, the Bulldogs were able to hold off a surging Golden Eagle team despite a close run down the final stretch. The Bulldogs trailed by four early in the fourth quarter and exchanged leads with the Golden Eagles until the Bulldogs were able to hit a clutch pair of jump shots late in the game.
The Bulldogs lead by as many as 11 and trailed by as many as six throughout the game. They struggled in the second quarter, shooting only 18 percent from the field but were able to find their rhythm once the second half got underway.
Coming into the game the Bulldogs were 0-4 on the season and tonight’s game wasn’t made any easier by the Golden Eagles’ 4-1 record so far this season.
“I’m just really happy for them because these players work really, really hard and they’re trying to do everything that our staff is asking them to do, I thought they just did a phenomenal job on both ends of the floor tonight,” head coach Mandy Pearson said of the team’s first win of the season.
It was an all-around team win for the Bulldogs tonight. Dominating in almost every aspect of the game, they outrebounded Crookston 48-45, beat them in bench points at 26-14, all while shooting 37% from the field. Senior guard Taylor Dillinger and junior forward Allyson Harris lead the Bulldog scorers with 12 points each.
“Anytime you win a game it’s good for a team’s confidence. I think our team just needed to see success with doing all the little things and putting together every single possession throughout the game. I think that was great for not so much our confidence but just learning what we need to do to be successful.” Pearson said.