The Anoka-Ramsey Community College Women's Basketball team won their eighth straight game picking up a key MCAC win, 85-78 over M|State Fergus Falls on Saturday afternoon.
The Golden Rams now hold a 2.5 game lead over M|State and Rochester with four games left to play. M|State and Rochester each only have three games left to play.
An Anoka-Ramsey win on Wednesday when they host Rochester would clinch the #1 seed an right to host the Region XIIIA tournament.
In Saturday's tilt the Golden Rams looked poised to run away with the win, building a 20-7 lead halfway through the opening period.
Anoka-Ramsey still led 22-9 when M|State scored the final four points of the period to pull within 22-13 after the first.
A three-pointer from Rashonna Thomas sparked a 9-0 Golden Ram run to extend a 30-20 lead to 39-20 with five minutes left in the second quarter.
M|State would counter with a 10-0 run over the next three minutes to pull back within single digits.
A Lateah Turmon layup, followed by another Thomas three extended the lead back to 44-30 before M|State scored on the final possession of the half and Anoka-Ramsey would lead 44-32 at the break.
Dariel Lipscomb and Amanda Lindsay would score to begin the third period and extend the lead to 14 points, but a 13-4 M|State run trimmed the Golden Ram lead to just five with 5:34 left in the third.
Anoka-Ramsey responded with a 10-4 run of their own to back up by double digits, but M|State scored the final four points of the third period to pull within 62-55 heading into the fourth.
M|State pulled within five points, 66-61 with 6:35 left in the game, but a three-pointer from Thomas pushed the lead back to eight points, and was extended to 75-65 after two Maegan McKernon free throws.
M|State cut the deficit back down to six, 81-75 with 1:33 to play but the Golden Rams would seal the game making four of their final six free throws.
Anoka-Ramsey shot 54.2 percent from the field and hled a 30-26 edge on the boards.
Thomas finished with 34 points making 8 of 12 threes. Thomas has now scored 30 or more in three of the last four games.
Lindsay and Lipscomb each finished with 16 points, and Turmon chipped in 13 points.
The Golden Rams improve to 15-6 overall.