Friday

The Bemidji State University women’s basketball team fell to Minnesota State University Moorhead Friday 75-66 in a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference game at BSU Gymnasium. The loss brought the Beavers’ record down to 7-10 overall and 3-10 in NSIC play.

Junior guard Morgan Lee (Hayward, Wis.) led the team in scoring with 25 points – a season-high in conference play. Junior Kate Warmack (C, East Grand Forks, Minn.) posted her sixth double-double of the season with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Also in double figures for the Beavers were Jessie Althoff (Jr., F, Becker, Minn.) with 13 points and junior guard Lanae Rash (Milwaukee, Wis.) with 10. Rash also added nine rebounds, while Althoff chipped in seven boards and a team-high three assists.

BSU recorded 39.3 percent from the field, while MSUM posted 35.7 percent. Beyond the arc the Dragons went 8-for-19 (42.1 percent), while the Beavers shot only 27.8 percent from downtown. MSU Moorhead attempted 39 free throws, while the Beavers attempted 20. The Dragons went 27-for-39 (69.%), while Bemidji State went 17-for-20 (85%). BSU gave away 17 turnovers that resulted in 18 MSU Moorhead points.

Althoff opened the game with a jumper, but an MSUM 3-pointer followed and BSU trailed 3-2 early. With 17:52 remaining in the first half Rash sunk a layup that put the Beavers three points ahead, 6-3. Two fouls on the Dragons gave Rash and Warmack two points each from the free-throw line to keep a Beaver lead, 14-11.

A 3-pointer, which tied the game, and two free throws later, gave MSUM a lead that they would keep until the second half. With only 4:43 left on the clock the Beavers were trailing the Dragons 33-25. Two consecutive 3-pointers from Lee helped close the gap and the Beavers cut the deficit to two at 33-31 with 3:48 left in the frame. MSU Moorhead finished the first half with a 4-0 run and the teams went into halftime with the scoreboard reading 37-31.

The Dragons knocked down seven 3-pointers in the first half and shot 7-for-11 (63.6%) from beyond the arc in the first 20 minutes, while hitting just four more shots from the field (11-for-31). Warmack had 10 points and nine rebounds at the break for BSU.

A 3-pointer from Lee put the Beavers on the scoreboard with 18:56 left in the second half to make the score 39-34. With 16:16 remaining in the game Emily Kaus (Sr., C, Eagan, Minn.) sunk a layup that put the Beavers two points behind the Dragons, 44-42.

A bucket by Lee tied up the game with 14:51 remaining, the a foul on MSUM put sophomore Melissa Youngblut (G/F, Davenport, Iowa) at the line and she was able to make two free throws to put BSU in the lead 46-44. Unfortunately for the Beavers their lead was short lived, as a layup by the Dragons dropped with 13:27 left on the clock and tied the game 46-46. A basket from MSU Moorhead put it ahead of BSU 48-46 with 12:21 left.

The lead would stay in favor of the Dragons for the rest of the game. BSU was able to keep the lead to single digits until two free throws put the road team up 63-53 with 4:25 showing on the clock. With 2:16 left in the game Lee made her final 3-pointer and followed that with a jumper that brought the score to 70-64. But the comeback was too little, too late and as MSUM went 5-for-6 from the line down the stretch and ended the game at 75-66.

The Beavers take on Northern State University at home Saturday at 4 p.m. at BSU Gymnasium.

Saturday

After a close second half the Bemidji State University women’s basketball team defeated Northern State University in a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference game Saturday that brought its record to 8-10 overall and 4-10 NSIC. Northern State (13-5, 9-5 NSIC) entered the game tied for first in the NSIC North division.

Junior guard Morgan Lee (Hayward, Wis.) scored 22 points and Lanae Rash (Jr., G, Milwaukee, Wis.) recorded her second double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Lee tallied 22 – her second consecutive game with 20 or more points – on 9-of-13 (69.2%) shooting from the field, as her mid-range jumper was untouchable. Junior center Kate Warmack (East Grand Forks, Minn.) added 10 points and five rebounds, while senior Shannon Thompson (G, Rosemount, Minn.) scored nine points and dished out a team-high four assists.

BSU posted 52.1 percent from the field, which is a season-high for the team and just the second time this season the squad shot 50 percent or better. The last time came in the fourth game of the season when it shot 50.8 percent at Mount Mercy. The Beavers were also defensively sound the entire game and held NSU to only 34.9 percent from the field, its third worst shooting night of the season. The Beavers shot 7-for-16 (43.8%) from 3-point land and forced 12 Northern State turnovers that led to a 16-4 advantage in points off turnovers.

The first half started off slow for both teams until a 3-pointer from Lee opened the game with 18:20 left in the first half. A three-point bucket by Thompson followed by a layup from NSU brought the score to 6-2. After more than five minutes without a Beaver basket, Warmack sunk a layup that tied the game 8-8 with 12:35 left in the half.

A jumper from NSU put them in lead until Rash made one of her own to tie the game 10-10. Two free throws from the Wolves put them in the lead for the next five minutes. Trailing by five at 17-12 with 7:49 to play, BSU went on a 5-0 run to knot the game up at 17-17. NSU got a jumper to fall to regain the lead, but Warmack made a basket with 4:59 left on the clock, that tied up the game. A 3-pointer from sophomore Melissa Youngbult (G/F, Davenport, Iowa) gave the Beavers a lead, 22-21, they would keep until the second half. The Youngblut 3-pointer also jump started a BSU 8-2 run to close the half with a 27-23 lead.

A basket from Lee started the second half followed by back-to-back layups from NSU and the score sat at 29-27 early in the frame. A 3-pointer from Thompson at 17:11 brought the score to 32-27. But the Beaver offensive attack slowed a bit and with 12:07 left on the clock a 3-pointer from Northern State tied the game 38-38.

The teams traded buckets for the next five minutes, leading up the game’s eighth tie game at 50-50 with 7:35 left. With 6:31 left in play, Warmack sank a jumper that put BSU in the lead 52-51, a lead they would keep for the rest of the game. With 2:37 showing on the clock sophomore guard Allison McKee (New Brighton, Minn.) knocked down a dagger from beyond the arc to bring the score to 60-54 and ultimately seal the game for the Beavers. A foul on the Wolves gave Lee two extra free throws that finished the game with the home team victorious 64-57.

The Beavers are back in action Feb. 1-2 against Southwest Minnesota State University (6 p.m.) and Sioux Falls University (4 p.m.) at the BSU Gymnasium.