Friday

The Bemidji State University women’s basketball team defeated Southwest Minnesota State University Friday 57-52 in a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference game Friday at the BSU Gymnasium.

Junior guard Lanae Rash (Milwaukee, Wis.) led the team in scoring with a career-high 26 points, while Morgan Lee (Jr., G, Hayward, Wis.) added 11 points and Emily Kaus (Sr., C, Eagan, Minn.) pulled down a game-high nine rebounds.

The win brought the Beavers’ overall record to 9-10, while it is 5-10 in league play.

Bemidji State shot 42.9% from the field despite hitting on just 2-of-12 from beyond the 3-point arc (.167), while SMSU only shot 36.8% in the game.

Lee and Jessie Althoff (Jr., F, Becker, Minn.) recorded back-to-back layups to get the Beavers an early 4-0 lead and aided by three consecutive baskets by Rash, the Beavers jumped out to a 10-2 edge just 3:15 into the game. Lee drained a 3-pointer just over a minute later to extend the Beavers’ lead to 10 points, 15-5, but BSU would go cold. Over the next five minutes BSU converted just 1-of-3 from the field and turned the ball over four times to allow SMSU to creep back to within four points, 18-14 at the midway point of the first half.

A Lee jumper at the 8:02 mark ignited an 11-0 run over the next six minutes and the Beavers would cruise into the locker room netting 14 of the final 20 points of the half to own a 32-22 halftime lead.

BSU got baskets from Althoff, Lee and Rash during the first three minutes of the second half to stretch its lead to 13 points, 38-25, but would score just four points during the next seven minutes to open the door for a Mustang comeback.

Leading 45-35 with 10 minutes to play, Bemidji State saw its lead dwindle to just two points, 49-47, three minutes later thanks to seven quick points by SMSU’s Rebeka Rolling.

SMSU trimmed the BSU lead to just one point, 51-50, when Mikayla Saathoff drilled one of the Mustangs’ six 3-pointers with 5:16 left, but Bemidji State would rebound with back-to-back layups by Lee and Rash to put the team up 55-50 with 1:46 to go. BSU made a pair of free throws down the stretch to hold off SMSU and grab the win, 57-52.

BSU looks to extend its current winning streak to three games for the first time since a five-game stretch to open the season Saturday when it hosts University of Sioux Falls (10-9; 7-8 NSIC) at the BSU Gymnasium in a 4 p.m. contest.

Saturday

The University of Sioux Falls scored 12 unanswered points in overtime to earn an 82-70 victory over the Bemidji State women’s basketball team Saturday at he BSU Gymnasium.

Junior guard Morgan Lee (Hayward, Wis.) posted 19 points.

The Beavers shot 68.2 percent in the field while Sioux Falls posted 63.6 percent

The first basket of the game was a 3-pointer from Sioux Falls that was quickly followed by a jumper from senior Emily Kaus (C, Eagan, Minn.). With 16:07 left in the first half a foul on Sioux Falls would give Lee the two free throw points the Beavers needed to tie up the game 6-6, this would be the first of 11 ties during the game. The second tie came 30 seconds later after a 3-point bucket from Lee, 9-9. With 8:58 left in the half a free throw from Jessie Althoff (Jr., F, Becker, Minn.) evened the game for the final time during the half, 22-22.

For almost three scoreless minutes the Beavers held a one point lead until a basket by the Cougars put them behind. The basket was answered almost immediately by a 3-pointer from Lee. With 2:26 left on the clock two free throws from Kate Warmack (Jr., C, East Grand Forks, Minn.) solidified the Beaver lead 34-29. A 3-pointer from USF ended the period 38-32.

The teams went 0-for-6 to open the second half. The Cougars officially started the second-half scoring with 18:57 on the clock. The Beavers held their lead throughout most of the second half but USF never let them stretch it further than nine points. With 7:27 left in the game the Cougars capped an 8-0 run with a hoop by Mikenna Greathouse to grab a 59-58 lead. Both teams fought hard to take the lead tying the game five more times in the last six minutes. A missed jumper by USF kept the game tied 70-70 as the clock ran out and the teams went into a five minute over time.

Bemidji State seemed to lose steam in overtime when the Cougars took 12 unanswered points to gain the 82-70 victory.

The Beavers are headed south next weekend where they will take on Minnesota State University Mankato and Concordia University-St. Paul February 8and 9, respectively.