Kirksville, Mo. — Truman State Women's Basketball hosted two Northern Sun opponents this week inside Pershing Arena, facing the No.17 ranked Concordia–St. Paul Golden Bears on Thursday before returning Friday afternoon to meet Winona State. The Bulldogs battled through stretches of strong shooting, key defensive possessions, and several individual standout efforts but ultimately fell 82–60 to the Golden Bears and 89–64 to the Warriors.

Concordia–St. Paul 82, Truman State 60

Concordia–St. Paul opened the night with an active first quarter, but Truman matched the early pace behind sharp perimeter shooting. Mariann Blass opened the scoring in transition, and back-to-back threes from Mallory Ott and Avery Rausch pushed the Bulldogs ahead 12–8 midway through the frame. Truman hit five threes in the opening quarter and held the lead until the final minute, when a CSP layup and two late free throws sent the Golden Bears to the break ahead 24–18.

The Bulldogs opened the second quarter with a Blass three to pull within three, and buckets from Katelyn Odem and Maggie Chambers helped trim the margin to 28–27 with 5:32 left before halftime. However, Concordia–St. Paul closed the half on a 9–1 run built on defensive stops and transition opportunities, taking a 37–28 lead into the locker room.

Truman fired back quickly out of the break, getting a three from Ott and a series of strong drives from Odem to stay within single digits. Morgan Miller's triple at 8:30 pulled the Bulldogs within 42–36, and baskets from Blass and Ott kept the margin manageable entering the media timeout. CSP answered with a decisive surge, stringing together three straight layups and converting turnovers into points to stretch the lead to 56–44 late in the quarter.

The Golden Bears carried that momentum into the fourth, scoring the first six points of the period to build their largest lead. Truman continued to generate looks from deep when Miller struck again at the 5:17 mark, but Concordia–St. Paul's interior scoring and transition defense sealed the game down the stretch.

Winona State 89, Truman State 64

The Bulldogs opened Friday with crisp ball movement and strong early shooting. Morgan Miller drilled a three on the first Bulldog possession, and Truman held a 20–16 lead after a back-and-forth first quarter highlighted by baskets from Avery Rausch and Emajin McCallop.

Winona State responded in the second quarter with a major defensive run, holding the Bulldogs to a single field goal across the opening seven minutes. Truman remained within one possession early in the period thanks to a pair of free throws from McCallop, but the Warriors closed the frame on a 22–4 surge to take a 40–28 advantage into halftime.

WSU continued its offensive efficiency in the third, connecting on 11-of-17 attempts in the quarter and using an extended 20–5 run to widen the margin. Truman found answers behind a Blass of three, but the Warriors' three-point shooting and transition scoring kept the margin out of reach.

In the fourth, Truman generated a series of strong possessions, including, layups from Odem and Rausch, and a drive from Miller, but Winona State maintained steady control to close out the game.

Team Stats

Concordia–St. Paul 82, Truman State 60

• Shooting: TSU 24–52 (.462), CSP 32–65 (.492)

• Three-Pointers: TSU 8–25 (.320), CSP 7–27 (.259)

• Free Throws: TSU 4–14 (.286), CSP 11–13 (.846)

• Rebounds: CSP 39, TSU 28

• Turnovers: TSU 20, CSP 12

• Points in the Paint: CSP 50, TSU 24

Winona State 89, Truman State 64

• Shooting: TSU 19–56 (.339), WSU 35–58 (.603)

• Three-Pointers: TSU 6–26 (.231), WSU 13–28 (.464)

• Free Throws: TSU 20–29 (.690), WSU 6–9 (.667)

• Rebounds: WSU 38, TSU 28

• Turnovers: TSU 14, WSU 17

• Bench Points: WSU 38, TSU 22

Up Next:
The Bulldogs will play in the Drury Thanksgiving Classic next week. Truman State will face off against Arkansas-Fort Smith at 1:00 PM on Tuesday and will take on Missouri Southern on Wednesday at 1:00 PM as well. 

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