SIOUX FALLS – A night after an emotional win over city rival Augustana, the University of Sioux Falls women's basketball team (10-2, 6-2 NSIC) had too many turnovers and struggled shooting as a two-game winning streak ended in a 72-51 loss to #15 Wayne State (11-3, 5-3 NSIC) on Saturday at the Stewart Center.

Against Wayne State, USF committed 22 turnovers and hit just 31.1 percent (19-of-61) from the field, including 17.9 percent in the first half when the issue was pretty much decided. The Cougars trailed 35-14 at the break. On the bright side, the Cougars made 9-of-23 from three-point range, including 4-of-6 from freshman guard Paige Mriden. After making just 1-of-10 from distance in the first half, the Cougars warmed up by making 8-of-13 after halftime.

Junior guard Taylor Varsho added 14 points, including 5-of-10 from three-point range. Junior forward Teagan Molden added 10 points and seven rebounds. USF also maintained a 37-35 rebound edge as sophomore Sam Knecht grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds to go with six points.

“You have to give Wayne State credit. They played really well, using both their inside game and shots from the perimeter to build a lead which they held throughout,” said USF head women's basketball coach Travis Traphagen, who team has received votes in the WBCA national poll. “We just couldn't get anything going today. Now, we just have to learn from this loss and move forward.”

The Wildcats placed all five starters in double figures, including Jordan Spencer who had 16 points and eight rebounds. Sadie Murren, who hit all three of her three-pointers, added 15 points while Ashton Yossi had 13 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field. Both Millie Niggeling and Maggie Schulte had 11 points for the Wildcats, which hit 29-of-58 from the floor for 50 percent and made 6-of-12 from distance.

In a forgettable first half, the Cougars committed too many turnovers and failed to generate any sustained offense and trailed at the break, 35-14. USF hit just 5-of-28 shots from the field for a season-low 17.9 percent for the first half. It was USF's second worst overall shooting effort for a half (Mary, 17.1 percent, 2nd half). In addition, USF committed 15 turnovers, also a season-worst for a half. Meanwhile Murren had 12 points for Wayne State, which hit 14-of-30 shots from the field for 46.7 percent.

After USF scored the first basket of the game, everything turned the Wildcats way. WSC had an 11-0 run before a pair of free throws by Knecht with 15:44 left cut the lead to 11-4. After Teagan Molden trimmed the Wildcats' lead to 17-10 at the 7:54 mark, USF scored just four more points over the remainder of the half. With another big run, 11-0, the Wildcats took a 29-10 lead with 3:04 to play. Then, after Varsho hit a three-pointer at the 2:16 mark, WSC outscored USF, 6-1 to close the half and take a commanding 35-14 lead.

In the second half, both teams traded baskets with Jaicee Ulmer's basket cutting the lead to 19 with 14:27 left in the game. However, the momentum was with the Wildcats, who pushed the lead to 50-25 with 12:18 to play. The Wildcats' biggest lead was 27 with 10:37 to play (55-28). Mriden, a freshman from Roosevelt High in Sioux Falls, entered the game midway through the second half and provided a spark for the Cougars. She hit 4-of-6 three-pointers, all in the final nine minutes of the game. Mriden's final three-pointer closed the scoring with just seven seconds to play.

The Cougars will look to rebound when they hit the road for games at Winona State and Upper Iowa on Jan. 9-10.