Dec. 28, 1998

Nebraska-Kearney (11-1) handed Northern State its second straight home loss Monday night, marking the first time ever the Wolves have dropped two games in a season inside Wachs Arena.

Freshman center Anne Bomstad hit two free throws with five seconds remaining to give UNK the 72-71 lead that read as the final score after NSU failed to score on its final possession. Bomstad ended with 14 points and seven rebounds. Junior All-American guard Darcy Stracke, ranked second in the nation in scoring,  led UNK with 24 points.

Junior guard Jammie Coyle (Belle Fourche, S.D.) led NSU with 27 points on 11-of-20 shooting. Coyle also tallied four steals and six boards in the losing effort. Junior point guard Amanda Mikuska (Platte, S.D.) dished out 10 assists despite limited playing time due to foul trouble. Senior center Crystal Bonnichsen (Highmore, S.D.) led the team in rebounding with seven boards to go along with 12 points.

NSU held a 43-29 lead going into halftime, but the 8th-ranked Lopers chipped away at the beginning of the second half and went on a crucial 11-0 run in a 90-second span to turn NSU's cushion into a 55-52 UNK lead with about 10 minutes remaining. From there the teams would exchange the lead eight times down the stretch before time expired.

After two straight home games against teams ranked in the nation's top 10, NSU travels to Sioux Falls, S.D., Wednesday to face NCC foe Augustana. Tipoff is slated for 6 p.m.