Northern State earned a convincing 69–47 victory over Winona State in a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference women’s basketball matchup Friday night at Wachs Arena.

This was no ordinary win for the Wolves.

Winona entered the contest 8–2 in conference play, making the win a significant statement for NSU.

“This was a big one,” Northern State coach Paula Krueger said. “I told the kids, I really feel like we’re capable of beating anybody.”

Northern set the tone early, building a 15-point lead heading into halftime. The Wolves were efficient from the perimeter, shooting nearly 50 percent from three-point range to create separation in the first half.

“You get confidence from repetitions,” Krueger said. “When you see one go in it’s easier to see the next one, and you just kind of build off that.”

Defensively, the Wolves pressured Winona throughout the game, forcing turnovers and turning them into points. The Wolves scored 14 points off turnovers compared to just two for the Warriors, using that defensive effort to maintain control.

“When our defense plays really well, our offense has a tendency to play well with it,” Krueger said. “And I thought our defense set the tone tonight.”

Offensively, Northern had its most productive stretch in the second quarter, shooting 75 percent from the field to extend the lead. Taylor Tool led the Wolves with 18 points on the night, consistently attacking the defense and creating scoring opportunities.

“I think they tried to pressure us really hard, and I knew I could beat their posts off the dribble,” Tool said. “I think that made it really hard for them to guard us.”

Winona made a push during the second half, cutting the deficit to 11 points, but the Wolves responded quickly to regain momentum.

“They cut it down to 11,” Krueger said, “we put our foot down, and we didn’t look back.”

The Wolves continued to pull away in the fourth quarter, building their largest lead of 28 points. The hosts led for all but 44 seconds of the contest. NSU received strong production from its bench, which accounted for 20 points in the win.

A total of six different players scored at least eight points for the Wolves during the contest.

Megan Counts contributed 13 points, while Reagan Rus and Mackenzie Carrier each added nine, and Morgan Fiedler and Izzy Moore each finished with eight.

Moore also led the Wolves with nine rebounds and six assists.

“This win just shows we can compete with anyone,” Tool said. “Any team can lose to anyone in this conference.”

Northern improved to 10-7 overall and 5–6 in NSIC play. The Wolves will look to build on their momentum when they face Concordia–St. Paul at 6 tonight at Wachs Arena.

To see a complete box score from the game, click on the following link:

https://nsuwolves.com/sports/womens-basketball/stats/2025-26/winona-state/boxscore/14142