“This was a learning experience for us,” commented Fergus Falls Head Coach Josh Steer.  “I thought Brainerd played like they were in mid-season form and we played like it was our first game.  They are long and very athletic.  They also had some depth and got some great play from their bench.”

Brainerd scored the first six points of the game, but the Otters cut the lead to 6-5.  The Warriors then rattled off 7 straight points for a 13-6 lead and never trailed in the game.

Junior Brynn Sternberg scored the Otters first 17 points and finished with 26 on the night.  She also had 4 rebounds and 4 steals.  Ruby Ellison and Bella Anderson finished with 5 and 4 rebounds, respectively.  Hattie Fullhart added 6 points, Ellison finished with 5 and Julia Hajicek hit a 3-pointer for her only points of the night.

Fergus Falls shot 40% (6-15) from 3-point range and 25% overall.  They made 8-of-11 (72.7%) of their free throw attempts.  The Warriors held a 35-21 advantage on the boards.  Fergus Falls had 25 turnovers and Brainerd turned it over 22 times.  Brainerd shot 52% from the field.

“I thought we defended well inside and it was good to knock down some 3’s,” noted Steer.  “We need to get more physical in our rebounding and definitely have to take better care of the ball.”

Fergus Falls will host Thief River Falls on Thursday night in their home opener.