Mankato, Minn. – The Minnesota State women's basketball team earned an 89-68 win against the Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles Friday night at Taylor Center, highlighted by a free-flowing offense and smothering defensive pressure.
 
With the loss, the Mavericks improve to 12-9 (9-8 NSIC), while the Golden Eagles drop to 4-17 (3-14 NSIC).
 
The offense for both teams found success in the early going with several cuts to the basket and inside passes for the Mavericks leading to easy buckets and a 13-10 advantage with 4:59 to go in the quarter.  After some back and forth possessions, Rylee Menster drained a three-pointer in the final seconds putting the Mavericks up 20-16 after the first quarter. 

The second quarter saw MSU outscore UMC 30-14, building off an 8-0 run to open the quarter, resulting in a 50-30 lead at halftime.

Joey Batt finished the half with a team leading nine points while Kristi Fett, Kirstin Klitzke and Rachel Shumski each netted eight points.  As a team the Mavericks outrebounded the Golden Eagles 23-15 while forcing 12 turnovers to help build their 20-point halftime lead. 

Minnesota continued to dominate throughout the second half, extending its lead to as many as 31-points early in the fourth quarter, en-route to the 89-68 victory.

Fett finished with a game high 18 points to go along with five rebounds and a blocked shot.  Shumski finished the night with 14 points, four rebounds, a block and a pair of steals while Batt added 11 points of her own.

As a team the Mavericks won the rebound battle 42-27 while collecting 23 assists and shooting 52.7% from the field.  The MSU bench outscored Minnesota Crookston 53-21 and the Mavericks made 7-8 free throw attempts on the night.
 
The Mavericks will host the Bemidji State Beavers tomorrow afternoon with tip-off scheduled for 3:30 p.m.