Spring Break
'Winds lose at North Dakota State despite career high
Issue date: 2/13/08 Section: Sports
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"I was very pleased with Lindsey Wutt and (junior forward) Nicole Myers tonight," said coach Leslie Crane. "Those two ladies played with a lot of enthusiasm and desire. They got after the rebounds and made some big buckets for us, and that is very encouraging."
The Bison (13-10, 8-5 Summit League) opened the game with an 8-0 run before the Westerwinds (11-13, 9-4 Summit) got on the board with a 3-pointer by senior guard Gina Hugelier.
Hugelier's shot sparked a 7-2 run by Western to cut the lead to three (7-10), but that would be as close as the 'Winds would get the rest of the game.
NDSU's Brenda Slyt then hit one of her three shots from beyond the arc to push the lead back out to six. With just under 10 minutes remaining in the first half, both teams turned up the defensive pressure and held each other scoreless for just over four minutes.
Western was the first to break the streak when Wutt scored two buckets in a row to close the gap to four points.
The Bison got back to scoring with 4:48 remaining in the first half and started a 17-3 run to end the period up by 18 points, 34-16.
The 'Winds opened the second half with an 8-3 run over the first three minutes to cut the lead to 13. The teams then started to trade points until NDSU's Jill Zaruba hit two free throws that started a 7-2 run, pushing the Bison lead to 19 points with just under 10 minutes remaining in the game.
NDSU then went on a 13-4 run over the next 4:30 to give NDSU a 25-point advantage. Western continued to fight and went on a 9-5 run to end the game.
The Bison shot 42.6 percent from the floor compared to the 'Winds' 25 percent and out-rebounded Western 41-28.
Western returns home to play the final two games on Waste Management Court at Western Hall for the 2007-2008 season. Western first faces Centenary Saturday at 4:30 p.m. The game is part of the Women's Basketball Coaches Association Think Pink! Week to help raise awareness of breast cancer.
Fans can purchase pink Western basketball T-shirts for $12 or $8 for students.
The shirts are the ticket to the game and can be purchased at the University Union Wednesday and Thursday from noon to 1:30 p.m. or by calling 309/298-1721.
A portion of the proceeds will go to the McDonough District Hospital Cancer Fund to help those affected by cancer in the local area.
-Western Illinois University
Athletics Media Services
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