SIOUX FALLS – Megan Fannin had 20 points to lead four players in double-digits as the University of Sioux Falls Women's Basketball Team (5-3, 2-1 NSIC) earned its third straight win by edging Wayne State (5-2, 2-1 NSIC), 76-75,  in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference action at the Stewart Center on Saturday.

The Cougars defeated WSC for the eighth straight time in a streak that began with an 81-59 win on Jan. 4, 2019 at the Stewart Center. With the victory, USF is tied with three others (Wayne State, Southwest Minnesota State, and Concordia St. Paul) for second in the NSIC South.

"For us to beat a team like Wayne State, which was undefeated with wins over Augustana and SMSU, it was a big win," said USF Head Coach Travis Traphagen, who earned his 256^th career win. "After our victory on Thursday against Augustana, I didn't want this to be a letdown game. We had our ups and downs and didn't really get into any rhythm but we were able to pull it out. I am proud of how our young team battled and found a way to get it done," said Traphagen, whose team now hosts Upper Iowa on Friday, Dec. 10 and Winona State on Saturday, Dec. 11.

Fannin now has four games of 20 points or more in her career and eight double-digit scoring games with seven straight in 2021-22. She hit 6-of-17 field goals, including 4-of-11 from three-point range and all four of her free throws. USF had 12 points and six rebounds from Krystal Carlson, who has 17 career-double digit games. Also adding 12 points was Dallie Hoskinson who also supplied three rebounds, two assists and a steal. Senior Danielle Schaub added 11 points with a pair of rebounds, an assist, and a steal.

In a game with 10 tied scores and eight lead changes, the Cougars trailed, 22-17, after a quarter but with a 20-13 margin in the second quarter took a 37-35 lead to halftime. USF also had the advantage in the third quarter by a 22-21 margin for a 59-56 lead. WSC had a 19-17 advantage in the fourth quarter as the Cougars hung on for a 76-75 win.

For the game, USF hit 22-of-59 field goals for 37.3 percent, which was off their season average of 45 percent. However, the Cougars hit 8-of-26 three-pointers for 30.8 percent and converted 82.8 percent at the foul line on 24-of-28 shooting.

While both teams had 24 points in the paint, USF was able to offset Wayne State's 48.9 percent shooting (22-of-45), including 8-of-17 from three and 23-of-31 at the foul line, by winning the rebound battle for a second straight game. USF had a 36-to-27 rebound advantage which led to a 14-to-6 margin in second-chance points. USF, which had 24 points off the bench, forced 16 turnovers with 11 steals, including three from Brecli Honner. As a result, USF had a 22-to-15 edge of points off turnovers.

The Wildcats were led by guard Kylie Hammer who had 31 points on 10-of-13 shooting from the field. She made 3-of-5 from three-point range and 8-of-10 at the foul line. Logan Hughes added 16 points while Kassidy Pingel had 12.

Scoring Summary –

WSC opened up a 22-17 lead after a quarter by hitting 7-of-11 from the field for 63.6 percent and made all four of its three-point shots. USF hit just 4-of-15 for 26.7 percent but had a pair of triples and 7-of-8 at the foul line.

Hammer's three-pointers and two foul shots from Pingel gave the Wildcats a 13-7 lead at the four-minute mark. They extended the lead to 18-10 before USF had a basket from Carlson and two free throws by Honner to cut the deficit to 18-15 with a minute to play. Hammer's driving lay-up at the buzzer gave the Wildcats a five-point advantage.

USF used a 20-13 quarter edge as they turned things around offensively and took a 37-35 advantage to halftime. USF hit 7-of-14 field goals for 50 percent while making a pair of triples and four free throws. WSC made just 3-of-7 field goals but stayed close with 6-of-11 foul shots.

With a basket by Carlson followed by a triple from Hoskinson, USF tied the game at 23 with 8:37 to play. Madison Wuebben hit a pull-up jumper in the lane for a 26-23 advantage (7:12). The margin stayed at 2-3 points before USF had a jumper from Sydney White, who finished with seven points, for a 34-29 advantage with 2:31 to play. However, by the half, WSC had cut the lead back to two points at 37-35.

As the game moved to the third quarter, both teams continued to trade baskets and momentum. USF was 7-of-17 for 41.2 percent from the field. They hit 3-of-8 from three for 37.5 percent and 5-of-7 foul shots. WSC was 6-of-15 for 40 percent but made 8-of-9 at the foul line.

In the first three minutes of the quarter, the game was tied at 37, 40 and 44. Then, Carlson had a free throw, Fannin a jumper and Hoskinson hit her second three-pointer for a 50-44 advantage with 4:44 to play. WSC battled back and, with a 12-to-9 run to end the period, trailed by just 59-56 after Hammer's two foul shots with six seconds left on the clock.

In the fourth quarter, Schaub hit a jumper for a 61-56 lead (9:02) but over the next five minutes, the Wildcats rallied to take a 67-66 lead with an 11-to-5 run. USF, which was just 4-of-13 from the field in the fourth quarter, took a 72-70 lead on a jumper by Wuebben with 2:30 on the clock.

Two foul shots by Olivia Gamoke gave USF a 74-70 advantage with 1:48 to play. The Wildcats had a three-point play from Hammer with 40 seconds to go to draw within 74-73. But then, Fannin hit two foul shots for a 76-73 lead. WSC tried one last try to catch the Cougars, Hammer hit a driving lay-up with three seconds to play but after a timeout with 2.6 on the clock, USF was able to inbounds the ball and WSC was unable to foul in time as the clock ran out.