WAYNE, Neb. – Despite a spirited second-half comeback fueled by sophomore Augusta Thramer, University of Sioux Falls Women's Basketball suffered a 65-51 loss at Wayne State on Saturday. The Cougars drop to 14-10 on the season with an 11-9 record in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. USF returns to the Stewart Center for their final regular season games, hosting Concordia-St. Paul and Minnesota State on Feb. 16 and 17.
 
After trailing by 10 points in the second quarter, Thramer scored eight of her team-high 13 points in the third quarter, which led to the Cougars taking a brief lead. The Wildcats (22-6, 16-4 NSIC) fought back to take a 41-39 lead at the end of the third frame and USF's offense ran out of steam in the fourth, dropping their sixth straight game at Rice Auditorium.
 
Thramer posted an impressive stat line, pairing five rebounds and three assists with her 13 points. Kaely Hummel connected on two 3-pointers, which helped her reach 10 points for the game and extended her double-digit scoring streak to 24 games this season. Jacey Huinker grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds, her eighth game with 10 or more this season. In total, nine different Cougars scored and Mariah Szymanski scored six of her nine of her points in the fourth quarter.
 
The Cougars held Wayne State below 40 percent shooting on the day, but Wayne State's post presence led to a 24-8 edge in free throw attempts, of which they converted 15 foul shots to the Cougars' three. USF finished the night with a 37.9 percent mark from the field, including a 4-of-15 effort on 3-pointers.
 
The Cougars offense started slow, but their defense kept them in the game in the first half. Hummel and Jacey Huinker answered Wayne State's early baskets and Abby Slater's first points as a Cougar stopped a Wildcat run. Wayne State then pushed ahead by seven points before Moira Duffy score four unanswered to pull USF within three at 13-10. With a key basket before the first ended, Hummel hit a layup and the Cougars held Wayne State scoreless in the final minute to trail by five, 17-12, at the end of the first.
 
A late flurry by USF cut their double-digit deficit in half after the Cougars managed to keep pace with Wayne State early in the second period. The Wildcats extended their lead to nine before Ashley Hodell's layup snapped the Cougars' scoring drought at the 6:40 mark of the second quarter. Hummel hit her first 3-pointer to bring USF within six points, but Wayne State's size helped them maintain their lead with free throws.
 
Freshman center Mari Smitsdorff answered a pair of WSC foul shots with a layup off Taylor Volesky's post feed. The Wildcats responded with four straight points to lead by 10. Thramer sparked USF's late run with a jumper in the paint then she found Mariah Szymanski for a 3-pointer in the final minute to bring USF within five points, 29-24, entering halftime.
 
After her late-second quarter jumper helped the Cougars cut into Wayne State's lead, Thramer caught fire and led the Cougars all the way back. She scored four straight points on a pair of jump shots to cut the deficit to three points and after a Wayne State foul shot, she followed Hodell's free throw with a layup to bring the Cougars within one point.
 
A two-minute scoring drought by both teams broke when Thramer hit her third pull-up jumper of the quarter, giving her eight points in the third period and USF a 33-32 lead, their first since Hummel's jumper put USF up 2-1. Huinker answered WSC's four points with a jumper to pull back within one point and Andi Mataloni followed a WSC foul shot with a 3-pointer for a 38-37 lead. Wayne State closed the quarter on a 4-1 run to take the lead, 41-39, entering the fourth.
 
The Cougars hung around early in the fourth quarter, using Hummel's second 3-pointer and a free throw by Thramer to stay within one possession with 8:47 to play. However, Wayne State capitalized on USF's errors down the stretch and ran away with the game. Thramer converted a layup to break up WSC's initial run, but the Wildcats responded with eight straight points to go ahead 58-45. Szymanski scored USF's last six points of the game in an effort to keep the Cougars within striking distance, but Wayne State kept pace to hold on for a 64-51 win.