Senior Morgan Lee (G, Hayward, Wis.) posted 27 points and a career-best four steals, while senior center Kate Warmack (East Grand Forks, N.D.) added 14 points and a career-high 17 rebounds, as the Bemidji State University women’s basketball team posted a 84-80 home victory against Mayville State University Tuesday.

A balanced team effort guided the Beavers to victory in the fast-paced, back-and-forth season opener, as four players scored in double-figures. In addition to Lee and Warmack, freshman guard Hanna Zerr (Shakopee, Minn.) totaled 15 points, seven assists, four rebounds and four assists with just one turnover in 37 minutes of play. Senior forward Jessie Althoff (Becker, Minn.) posted 12 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Freshman Tatum Sheley (G, Backus, Minn.) was the lone starter not in double figures scoring, but did everything else on the floor. Her stat line read six points, six rebounds, three steals, two assists, one block and zero turnovers.

The Beavers recorded 14 steals and four blocks, while only turning the ball over 10 times. Bemidji State recorded 14 or more steals only twice last season, while the 10 turnovers is the best performance by a BSU squad since seven turnovers Feb. 11, 2012 against Minnesota State University Moorhead.

BSU only shot 35.6 percent from the field and allowed the Comets to post a 42.9 percentage. MSU shot 33 3-pointers, but only made nine (33.3%). BSU was 5-for-20 (25%) from beyond the arc. The Beavers compensated the low shooting night with a 22-14 advantage in points off turnovers, as the home team forced 25 Mayville State miscues.

The score was tied six times and the lead changed on four occasions in the first half. A freshman guard Allison Cordes (Roseville, Minn.) jumper in the paint with 15:08 remaining in the first frame handed the Beavers a 13-8 lead, but a 12-5 run by MSU would change the advantage to the road team 20-18 just four minutes later.

Mayville State continued to apply pressure and built a 10-point lead at 37-27 with 4:17 remaining in the opening half. A Zerr 3-pointer then sparked a BSU 10-0 run, which saw five points from Zerr, three from Sheley and two off the hands of lefty Cordes – all freshmen. The final 2:30 of the half saw only three points, as the Beavers held a small 39-38 advantage heading to the locker room.

Mayville State started the contest with hot shooting from all over the floor, but only posted one point in the half’s final 4:17. Lee led all scorers at the break with 12 points, while Warmack gathered eight of her 17 boards in the first 20 minutes.

The squads traded buckets early in the second half until an 11-0 run by the Beavers moved the score to 59-46 with 13:32 showing on the game clock. Four different players scored during the run, which included four points from sophomore guard Emily Reichert (Rogers, Minn.).

The Beavers lead was as high as 14 on three occasions and sat at 13 with 5:58 remaining, as BSU held a 71-58 advantage. The Comets slowly chipped away at the Bemidji State lead and got within four at 75-71 with 2:48 left. The Beavers responded with a 4-0 run to make it an eight-point difference. MSU continued to fight and got within one at 81-80 with eight ticks left on the clock. After Warmack missed the backend of a two shot bonus, Althoff found an offensive rebound and was fouled. Her two made free throws made it a two possession game and iced the win for the Beavers.

Takeaways

• The Beavers are now 5-4 in season openers under head coach Mike Curfman.

• The 27-point performance by Morgan Lee is her ninth-career 20-plus point performance.

• Kate Warmack’s double-double was her 13th of her career. She recorded eight last season to rank eighth in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. She has recorded 10 or more rebounds in a game 15 times in her career, while her previous career-high was 13.

Next Up

The Beavers hit the road for the first time in the 2013-14 regular season when they travel to Colorado to compete in the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs Classic Nov. 15-16. BSU plays host UCCS Friday at 8:30 p.m. before battling Western State University (Colo.). at 4:30 p.m. Saturday. Both times are listed as Central Standard Time.