The Wayne State College women’s basketball team opened the 2019-20 season Friday night with a narrow 60-57 victory over Northwest Missouri State at the UNK Crossover Tournament in Kearney.
The Wildcats trailed a majority of the first half and never took their first lead until the 6:06 mark of the second quarter.
Northwest Missouri State held an 11-6 lead before finishing the first quarter with a 14-13 lead. They maintained four-point leads early in the second quarter until Wayne State used a 9-2 run midway through the second stanza to take their first lead at 23-22 on a Brittany Bongartz three-point play with 6:06 to go in the quarter.
A pair of Kylie Hammer free throws with 2:42 left before halftime gave Wayne State their biggest lead of the first half at 29-24.
The Bearcats opened the third quarter with the first eight points to take a 32-29 lead, but the Wildcats responded with a 7-0 run (all from Erin Norling) to take a 36-32 lead.
Wayne State pushed the lead to eight at 44-36 following a Halley Busse three-point play with 1:41 to go in the quarter, but the Bearcats closed the quarter with a surge and cut the Wildcat lead to two at 44-42 entering the fourth quarter.
Wayne State never trailed in the fourth quarter, but fought off several ties from the Bearcats before making several free throws in the final 17 seconds to close out the win.
Junior forward Erin Norling was one of three double-digit scorers for Wayne State with 19 points. Junior guard Halley Busse added 15 points with junior center Brittany Bongartz adding 13.
Wayne State outrebounded the Bearcats 40-32 thanks to six rebounds each from Norling, Bongartz and Haley Vesey. Autumn Mlinar had three assists for WSC while Busse accounted for three of Wayne State’s seven steals.
Wayne State will play again Saturday, battling Nebraska-Kearney in a 5:30 p.m. contest.
