Photo of Karlee Cronk (#24) by Luke Zayas/True To The Cru
MARSHALL, Texas — On Tuesday afternoon, Karlee Cronk became just the seventh player in UMHB women’s basketball history with at least 18 rebounds in a single game, as the sophomore forward battled inside against UW-Eau Claire’s talented frontcourt.
The Lubbock native put forth a high level of effort on the second day of ETBU’s Christmas Classic, and her teammates seemed to follow suit, with The Cru recording a solid defensive performance against a WIAC opponent that came into the matchup at 9-1.
It gave them a chance in a difficult non-conference test, and inside Ornelas Gym for the second consecutive afternoon, that’s all they could ask for. It was a 28-26 game at halftime, and a seven-point game through three quarters.
But a supreme second-half showing from UW-Eau Claire lifted the Blugolds to their ninth-straight victory, as they outscored UMHB by 10 over the final two quarters of a 53-41 win. UWEC improved to 10-1 overall, going a perfect 2-0 in the Lone Star State.
For The Cru, it marked a sixth consecutive loss, their last win having come over Schreiner on Dec. 3. But even in the defeat—their final game of the calendar year—UMHB head coach Katie Novak-Lenoir came away pleased with the way her squad faced the challenge. UWEC entered Tuesday averaging 77.3 points per game, the 14th-best scoring average in the country, but The Cru limited the Blugolds to a season-low 53 points and their lowest shooting percentage of the season (31.1%).
“I am really proud of our grit today,” Novak-Lenoir said. “Karlee Cronk’s rebounding effort, her ability to make plays, take charges, and get deflections really gave us energy. Eau Claire is an excellent team and we did a great job outrebounding a big and physical team.
“We need to improve on taking care of the ball, and knocking down open shots. Today was an effort that I haven’t seen yet from us this year from start to finish. We need to play like that every single game.”
UMHB outrebounded UWEC, 51-46, winning the battle on the boards for the eighth time this season. Cronk played no small role in that aspect, as the 5’10 forward repeatedly fought through UWEC’s block-outs on both ends of the floor, grabbing six offensive rebounds and 12 more on the defensive end. The last Crusader with an 18-rebound performance was Taylor Kollmorgen, who did so in a Feb. 27, 2021 win.
While the defense repeatedly came up with stops—something Cronk also had a significant role in—the offense went through plenty of cold stretches, which ultimately added up in the outcome. The Cru shot just 13-of-65 from the field, held to just 10 points in the paint, with eight of their 13 made field goals coming from beyond the 3-point arc. UMHB had four more 3s than UWEC, but the Blugolds found more consistent scoring, reaching double figures in each of the game’s four quarters, aided by 26 points in the paint.
Olivia Witkowski, Kyla Overskei, and Reanna Hutchinson each posted double-digit scoring performances for UWEC, with Witkowski’s 11 leading the way.
UWEC opened Tuesday’s duel with a 5-0 run behind a jumper from Hutchinson and a 3 from Overskei, but UMHB quickly answered with four straight points from freshman Allie Uzzell. Just as quickly, the momentum swung towards UWEC again, with the margin widening back to 7. The Cru pulled back within one again at the 3:40 mark of the first quarter on a 3 from Natalia Galvan, who finished with a team-high 13 points.
The Blugolds closed the opening quarter on a 4-0 run and began the second in the same way, scoring nine of the first 12 points. That stretched UWEC’s lead to 11, and with 3:03 until halftime, the Blugolds remained in front, 26-17. But a cold stretch hit the visitors from Wisconsin and opened the door for UMHB to chip away, starting with Rachel Okoye’s jumper in the paint with 2:36 left. The senior’s short-range score sparked a 7-0 half-closing run for The Cru, capped by a stellar final shot from Galvan.
With the clock winding down, the freshman guard put up an off-balance 3 from the right wing, drawing contact as she sunk the long-range shot at the buzzer. It offered an opportunity for a rare four-point play, and Galvan capitalized, converting on the ensuing free throw to bring UMHB within two points of UWEC’s advantage at the intermission. The acrobatic score was one of 4 3s in the contest for the Hearne, Texas native.
UMHB pulled even closer in the third quarter, twice getting the deficit to a single point, initially on a free throw from Cronk and later on a jumper from Fowler. But after Fowler’s score with 4:16 left in the third, the Blugolds quickly countered with five straight points, regaining separation.
They led 40-33 heading into the last 10 minutes, and outscored UMHB, 13-8, in the game’s final quarter. The Crusaders kept the pressure on—UWEC’s lead remained at single digits for all but 26 seconds of the period—but ultimately the Blugolds held on, closing with an 11-3 run.
Staying in the fight for four quarters against a top-tier opponent certainly built some confidence for UMHB, who now turns its focus to Saturday’s road trip to West Texas, facing McMurry at 1 p.m. in Abilene. McMurry is 7-2 overall with a perfect 3-0 mark inside Kimbrell Arena under first-year head coach Laura Lange.
UMHB Stat Leaders
Points: Natalia Galvan (13), Amillion Fowler (9), Karlee Cronk (6), Rachel Okoye (6)
Rebounds: Karlee Cronk (18), Amillion Fowler (12), Allie Uzzell (7)
Assists: Rachel Okoye (3), Amillion Fowler (2)
