Traveling calls and turnovers made for a sloppy start, for both teams, when Mayer Lutheran and United Christian Academy met Thursday in a Class 1A girls’ basketball state tournament quarterfinal at Maturi Pavilion. They combined for 33 turnovers in the first half.

“We haven’t had issues with turnovers all year,” Crusaders coach Kris Gustin said. “So I don’t know where that came from.”

Wherever they came from, they didn’t hold back second-seeded Mayer Lutheran in a 56-33 victory. Mayer Lutheran finished the game with 27 turnovers to 24 for the Thunder.

Gustin was pleased his team didn’t dwell on turnovers and continued to play hard. The Crusaders also made up for it with what he called a “pretty scalding 75 percent” shooting percentage in the first half on the way to a 32-10 lead.

Mayer Lutheran junior Madeline Guetzkow, who averages 11 points per game, scored a game-high 17 points, shooting 8-for-10 from the field. Senior Emma Lade added 11 points and six rebounds. The Crusaders led by as many as 30 points in the second half.

The Crusaders (27-4) are in their fifth state tournament in search of their first girls’ basketball state championship.

The Thunder (23-5) lost in its state tournament debut. It’s a young team with four sophomore starters, and the players were overwhelmed, coach Peder Eide said.

“But what I appreciate is how the girls came fighting their way through it,” Eide said. “They made it a close second half.”