First home loss fuels fire for win against Northeastern State
By: Ryan Boyd
Tournament time is approaching fast for division-II basketball, and all conferences are ramping up the pressure to make their own case as the top team across the nation.
UNK is no different: blazing their own trail to ensure that no opponent forgets the day they played the lady Lopers.
After two top-ten matchups on Feb. 15 and 17 against the University of Central Oklahoma Bronchos and the Northeastern State Riverhawks, respectively, the Lopers now only have two more games remaining on the schedule before the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics tournament begins on Feb. 26.
LOPERS FALL, 1ST HOME LOSS
On Feb. 15, UNK sought their revenge against the Bronchos after dropping a tough game on the road in a 59-67 loss to the Bronchos on Feb. 8 in Edmond, Oklahoma.
Gritty defense and determination from UCO, as well as a stall in the fourth quarter from UNK, saw the Bronchos handing the Lopers their first home loss of the season on Thursday in a close 53-59 defeat.
McKenzie Brown led all scorers for the night by dropping 14 points and nabbing 10 rebounds, recording a double-double for herself. Brown, a senior business administration major from Grand Island, has been no stranger to carrying the workload for the Lopers this season and proved that yet again. She was on the floor for an entire 39 minutes against the Bronchos.
The Bronchos now have a 20-6 record and could potentially meet UNK again in the MIAA tournament.
ALL CYLiNDERS CLICK vs. RIVERHAWKS
On Saturday in a matchup against the Riverhawks, UNK looked to be almost unstoppable in every facet of their game. The Lopers never gave up the lead and were tied at only one point during all four quarters.
Northeastern State struggled to build momentum the entire afternoon and the Lopers could do no wrong as they easily went on to win 79-63.
Four UNK starters scored in double figures and showed how strong the entire team can be when all the cylinders are clicking. Senior guard Michaela Barry had a game high 19 points, shooting an efficient 58 percent from the field. Barry, an elementary education/special education K-6, has been inching her way to UNK record books in the all-time scoring list and has the potential to be the all-time leading scorer before the season is up. Barry currently has 958 points.
Right behind Barry was Alyssa Frauendorfer, a graduate student majoring in business administration from Humphrey, who scored 17 points for the Lopers. Frauendorfer didn’t miss a single shot, shooting 100 percent on the floor.
Scoring 12 points for UNK and having a game high 35 minutes played was freshman guard Kelsey Sanger. Sanger, an exercise science/physical therapy major from Crofton, has quickly earned herself consistent minutes every night on the floor for the Lopers as she continues to give her all for the team.
Once again scoring in double digits was Brown. Brown tallied up 11 points and made three of her four free throw attempts.
UNK has built quite a dominant season for themselves, sitting at 20-5 on the year. This is the lady Lopers’ first 20-win season in nine years. The final two games of the regular season will be a challenge, but it will be from the comfort of their own home court, where they currently hold a 12-1 record.
The Lopers face off against the 21-5 Fort Hays State Tigers on Feb. 20 and then their season finale will be against the Southwest Baptist Bearcats on Feb. 23. The Bearcats are currently 15-11 on the season.