MSU-Northern Skylights basketball picked up a second win this week, beating Embry-Riddle (Arizona) on a neutral court on Friday night, (79-73). The Skylights were trailing in the first quarter, (22-14), and were just able to get by in the second, staring at a (36-27) lead after the first 20 minutes.
Like the game against Dickinson State earlier in the week, Northern put together a strong second half, outscoring the Eagles, (52-37). Newcomer Becky Melcher came out strong to start the final 20, hitting one of her two third quarter 3-pointers seven seconds in, while Malta native Maddie Williamson made three field goals. The fourth quarter saw the return of Canzas HisBadHorse and Taya Trottier to form, combining for 18 points on 6-of-7 from the floor. A (6-0) run towards the end of the game lifted the Skylights into the win column again.
HisBadHorse put up a career-high 29 points on 13-for-19 from the floor. She also grabbed 13 rebounds to get to a double-double. Trottier also finished with a double-double, scoring 12 points and dishing out 11 assists.
Northern will have another chance to beat the Eagles, this time at a tournament in Arizona on Dec. 21. The Skylights will be back in action following Thanksgiving with a tournament in Dickinson, ND, playing future Frontier Conference opponent Valley City State next Friday before rematching with Dickinson State next Saturday.
