Winona, Minn. --- The Minnesota State women's basketball team fell short to No. 9 Winona State on Friday night in Winona, Minn., 69-61. 

With the loss MSU's overall record falls to 7-16 overall and 6-13 in NSIC play.

The Mavericks saw themselves down, 40-29, to the Warriors at halftime, before MSU turned up the pressure defensively in the third quarter to cut WSU's lead down to three heading into the fourth. The Mavericks got the Warriors lead down to two a couple of time in the fourth but was never able to get any closer.

At the start of the game it was back and forth as it saw six lead changes and two ties. Both teams struggled shooting from the field, as MSU shot 29% from the field and WSU shot slightly better at 31%. After one quarter, the Warriors led 17-13 over the Mavericks. Sophomore Claire Ziegler [Mankato, Minn.] tallied seven points and three rebounds, while junior Sammie Delzotto [Eagan, Minn.] pulled down five rebounds.

In quarter two the Warriors started to pull away from the Mavericks as they shot 50% in the quarter. WSU largest lead of the half was at 13, 25-12 with 3:08 left before halftime. MSU also shot much better in the quarter with a 46% from the field. The difference came from behind the arc. WSU tallied eight three-pointers in the half, seven (7-11) of which came from the hands of Warriors guard Connor Nagle, while MSU drained four three's of its own (4-11). After the first half of play, MSU was down 40-29 to WSU.

At the break, WSU built a 24-17 rebounding advantage in the first half and also outscored MSU 8-0 in points off turnovers, as both teams coughed the ball up five times each.

Ziegler and Delzotto each collected seven points in the first half, while senior McKenzie Hoelmenn [Lakeville, Minn.] added six points and two rebounds off the bench.

In the third quarter the Mavericks really turned up the pressure on the defensive end as they held the Warriors to a 29% field-goal percentage, including 0-5 from three. MSU was able to take advantage of it as it outscored WSU in the quarter, 18-10. The Warriors led by just three after three quarters, 50-47. The Mavericks shot 47% in the quarter and outrebounded the Warriors 13-8. Ziegler added six more points and four rebounds, while Delzotto chipped in with five more points of her own in the quarter. 

In the final quarter, the Mavericks were never able to tie the game up or take the lead as they got the Warriors lead down to two a couple of times at the 1:36 mark and also with 36 seconds left in the game. WSU also nailed all eight of its free-throw attempts in the last minute of play to help the Warriors get the 69-61 win over the Mavericks.

MSU ended up shooting 39% from the field, while WSU finished slightly worse with 36%. The Mavericks drained seven three-pointers, while the Warriors collected 11 from behind the arc and Nagle led the way with eight of her own.

The Mavericks ended up outrebounding the Warriors in the game, 41-40, even though WSU built a 24-17 margin in the first half. A key difference in the game came from the free-throw line as the Warriors finished 14-of-14 from the line, while the Mavericks shot 2-of-6 from the charity stripe.

Delzotto finished with a team-high 17 points and also added eight rebounds and three assists. Ziegler again fell just shy of notching her fifth double-double of the season with 13 points and nine rebounds. Freshman Monica Muth [Cambridge, Minn.] chipped in with 11 points and three rebounds, while Hoelmenn concluded with eight points and three rebounds.

The Mavericks will return to action on Saturday as they will take on Upper Iowa in Fayette, Iowa. Tip-off is set for 4:00 p.m.