“We had another great start to this game, but then struggled to attack their zone in the second quarter,” reported Spartan Head Coach Janice Hendrickson. “We had a lot of mental breakdowns when it came to defense. We were able to regroup and make adjustments at halftime to build a solid lead and finish the game strong.” 

Four players finished in double figures for M State, led by Sydney Hovland (17 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks). Olivia Winfrey (15 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists), Taylin Schleicher (12 points, 6 rebounds) and Kassandra Algarate (10 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks) were the other players to score in double digits. 

M State shot 44% (25-57) for the game, making 5-of-15 treys. They also went 13-for-20 (65%) from the free throw line. 

Itasca was led by Gianna Roberts (17 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals), Averi Holthusen (14 points, 10 rebounds) and Maya Schroeder (10 points, 7 rebounds). Kenzi Reidel came up with 4 steals for the lady Vikings. 

M State will travel to Worthington on Wednesday for their Southern Division opener against Minnesota West Community and Technical College. Their first Divisional home game will come next Saturday at 1:00pm against Ridgewater College from Willmar.