Dec. 29th, 2006 -Aberdeen, S.D.	1st	2nd	Final	Records
Minnesota Duluth	25	22	47	8-4, 0-0 NCC
#13 Northern State University	31	29	60	11-2, 4-0 NSIC

 

Hall Reaches 1,000, Wolves Break Long Streak With Bulldogs

Noelle Hall, File Photo

December 29, 2006
ABERDEEN, SD - In leading her team to a 60-47 win over Minnesota Duluth Friday night, junior center Noelle Hall became the 26 th player in NSU history to reach 1,000 career points. The win breaks a three-game Wolves losing streak against UMD and is the second straight game that NSU had a player reach the 1,000 point mark, with senior Carolin Becker reaching the milestone last week against South Dakota.

The Wolves kept the Bulldogs to 24.2 percent shooting from the field and dominated the boards by a 45-31 margin. Although they turned the ball over 19 times and shot just 37.2 percent from the field, Northern got to the charity stripe 33 times on the night, sinking 27 shots for the difference in the game.

The Wolves rallied to take a 31-25 halftime lead, starting the game slow before picking things up in the final minutes. The Wolves struggled both in shooting and turnovers early on while the Bulldogs had no troubles putting the ball in the hoop. Minnesota Duluth led by as many as eight points in the first half before Northern turned on the heat, taking the lead back with just a minute and a half left in the first period. The Wolves kept the Bulldogs scoreless for the final 5:47 of the half.

The Wolves shot 50 percent from the field (11-22) in the first 20 minutes and were led in scoring by Noelle Hall with 11 points. They out-rebounded the Bulldogs by a 20-13 margin. UMD, who came out firing strong from the field, shot just 27.6 percent in the half (8-29).

The second half featured more fouls than baskets, with the teams combining for 25 illegal contacts. Northern maintained a comfortable lead through most of the half, but a tough Bulldogs trap created numerous turnovers and the scoring margin narrowed considerably. UMD strung together eight straight points, capped by a Stephanie Reiter three-pointer, while holding the Wolves scoreless to get to within two points at the 6:05 mark. Northern responded with an 8-2 run to take back an eight point lead. From there, the Wolves never looked back and sealed the 60-47 win at the charity stripe.

Northern shot 37.2% on the night (16-43) from the field and 81.8% from the line (27-33). Hall reached the 1,000 point mark of her career at the free throw line midway through the second half. She finished the game with 19 points and seven rebounds. She was the only NSU player to score in double digits. Miranda Boepple led the team with eight rebounds.

Minnesota Duluth shot 24.2% on 15-of-62 shooting. They hit six three-pointers and had 13 steals. Alissa Pauly and Justine Axtell led the Bulldogs with 10 points each.

The Wolves improve to 11-2 on the season while UMD falls to 8-4. The Wolves will return to NSIC action next weekend, traveling to MSU Moorhead and Concordia-St. Paul next Friday and Saturday.

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