The eight-game winning streak for the Wayne State women’s basketball team came to an end as both the men’s and women’s teams fell at home in action Saturday against MSU Moorhead.
In the women’s game, the 18th ranked Dragons ran their winning streak to 15 games and ended Wayne State’s eight-game run with a 74-64 win, dropping Wayne State to 13-4 overall and 8-4 in NSIC play.
The Wildcats led early in the game, taking a 10-9 advantage on a Maggie Schulte layup with 3:49 to go in the opening period, but the Dragons went on a 10-2 run to close the quarter and never trailed after that.
Wayne State trailed by as many as 12 points in the first half, but the Wildcats went on a six-point run and got as close as 26-20 after Anna Martensen’s jumper with 4:39 to go in the half. Wayne State trailed by eight before the Dragons hit back-to-back 3-pointers to take a 14-point halftime lead.
Wayne State trailed by 16 early in the third and went on a 14-3 run to get within five at 46-41 after two free throws by Schulte, but the Dragons rebuilt the lead back up to 14 by the end of the third quarter and came away with the 10-point win.
Martensen scored a career-high 22 points in the losing effort while Schulte added 12 points and Paige Ballinger put in 11.
The men’s game was a tight affair throughout with 14 ties and 15 lead changes, but MSU Moorhead took control late in the game and came away with a 95-87, dropping the Wildcats to 5-13 overall and 3-9 in the NSIC.
Moorhead led by as many as eight points in the first half before the Wildcats went on a 10-0 run and took a 23-21 lead on a 3-pointer by Kendall Jacks with 8:12 to go in the half. Neither team led by more than three points after that and were tied at 42-42 going into the half.
Wayne State took its biggest lead of the night at eight points on a free throw by Tony Bonner with 11:03 to go, but Moorhead responded with a 9-1 run to tie the game at 69-69 with 8:40 to go.
The game was tied for the final time at 73-73 on a Luke TerHark layup with 7:13 to go, but the Dragons went on a 9-0 run to take the lead for good and Wayne State never got closer than three at 85-82 on a Jordan Cornelius trey with 3:17 to go.
The Wildcats shot 52.5 percent from the floor and were led by Jacks’ career-high 28 points. Cornleius added 18 points, Austin Esters put in 12 and Vance Janssen scored 11. Janssen had seven assists.
Both Wayne State teams are on the road next weekend, traveling to Winona State on Friday and Upper Iowa on Saturday.
