Trojans Fall in North Star Athletic Association Championship Rematch on the Road, 61-59

The #9 ranked Trojan Women’s Basketball team fell short in the North Star Athletic Association Championship game to the #12 ranked Mayville State Comets on the road, 61-59.

The Trojans record is now 25-6 overall and await their seeding for the National Tournament. The Comets win the NSAA Championship for the second straight season and get the conference’s automatic bid to the National Tournament.

This game, just like the last, started off with a solid first quarter between both teams. DSU had the edge to open things up 18-13 after one. They led by double figures multiple times in the opening quarter, but MSU made timely baskets to keep themselves within reach and halt momentum. Though another lackluster second quarter resulted in the Trojans trailing at the half 26-25 after producing just seven points in the second. Coming into the game DSU was 3-5 when trailing at halftime, but an undefeated 22-0 with a lead at half.

Dakota State pulled things together a bit in the third as Mayville State struggled a bit out of the half. The Comets exploded in the fourth though and made all the timely baskets. They also got a key block from Jes Mertens on Angela Slattery that led to a transition layup by Mackenzie Hughes late in the game. The Trojans were unable to capitalize on a couple of open shots from deep to put themselves back in front.

Mayville State shot 6-for-10 (60%) from the field and 3-for-5 (60%) from three in the fourth quarter. Along with going 8-for-10 (80%) from the free throw line. Dakota State shot just 19-for-55 (34.5%), 10-for-35 (28.6%) from deep and 11-for-14 (78.6%) from the charity stripe in the game.

The Comets were led in scoring by Jordan Zrust with a game-high 29 points. Along with a game-high 10 rebounds for a double-double. Also in double figures was Hughes with 14 points, nine coming in the first half. Erin Walker added 12 points, 10 of which came in the second half where she went 3-for-4 (75%) from deep.

Slattery led the way for DSU with 18 points. Followed by Savannah Walsdorf with 13 points and she also reeled in a team-high eight rebounds. Starters aside from Slattery had a tough night, going a combined 6-for-32 (18.8%) from the field. Though the Trojans dominated in bench points 22-2 over the Comets. DSU had trouble working in the paint as the Comets had it clogged all night long, finishing with just 18 points in the paint to the Comets 26.

Next Up

The Trojans will host the first two rounds of the National Tournament in the DSU Fieldhouse for the first time ever. The NAIA Women’s Basketball Selection Show will be on Thursday at 7pm on the NAIA’s Youtube channel. The Trojans will await their seeding and who their opponent will be for the opening round.