ST. CLOUD, MINN.  –   The St. Cloud State University women's basketball team is moving on to the NSIC/Sanford Health Tournament semifinal. The #13 Huskies earned their quarterfinal win Saturday afternoon, as they came back to beat upset-minded Northern State 61-50. With the win, St. Cloud State advances to the NSIC / Sanford Health Tournament semifinal for the fourth consecutive year. 

The Huskies proved why they were the No. 1 overall seed in the opening five minutes of the first quarter, cruising out to an 11-6 lead thanks to strong defensive play and hot shooting from beyond the arc. However, St. Cloud State went cold at the midway mark, allowing the Wolves to crawl their way back into the game and even the score 11-11 by the end of the opening 10 minutes. Despite tough play on defense, the Huskies couldn't shake Northern State in the second quarter either, allowing the Wolves to hold a 25-19 lead with three minutes remaining. Though St. Cloud State cut the lead to 25-21, Northern State simply could not miss, allowing the Wolves to hold a 29-24 lead at the half. 

Something happened in the final seconds, though, that shifted the momentum in the Huskies direction. Sophomore Tori Peschel (Sauk Centre, Minn. / Sauk Centre) poked her hand through traffic to force a Wolves turnover, then sprinted down the court for the breakaway layup, cutting Northern State's lead to four points just before halftime. The move seemingly ignited St. Cloud State's slumbering offense, as the team went out and tied the game at 29-29 not two minutes into the third quarter. That sparked a 13-2 lead in favor of the Huskies, giving them a 42-31 advantage with two minutes remaining in the third quarter. 

Again, a scoring drought and a run by the Wolves cut the Huskies lead to 45-39 entering the final quarter. That was the closest Northern State would ever come to catching Northern State, as the fourth quarter quickly became the Tori Wortz (Hutchinson, Minn. / Hutchinson) and Brehna Evans (De Pere, Wis. / West De Pere) show. The duo dominated for the Huskies, both on offense and defense, helping St. Cloud State secure the 61-50 victory. 

TOP HUSKIES

• Tori Wortz (Hutchinson, Minn. / Hutchinson) scored a season-high 28 points in Saturday's victory while shooting 12-25 from the floor. Wortz additionally pulled in five rebounds and tallied two blocks and a steal. 
• Brehna Evans (De Pere, Wis. / West De Pere) added 19 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three steals in the win, while Nikki Kilboten (Eau Claire, Wis. / Eau Claire North) led the team with eight rebounds. 

UP NEXT
The Huskies advance to the NSIC / Sanford Health Tournament semifinal for the fourth consecutive year, which will take place at 4:30 p.m. on Monday, February 28 at the Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. St. Cloud State will face the winner of Sunday's quarterfinal between Concordia-St. Paul and Bemidji State.