BEMIDJI, Minn. – The Northern State University women's basketball team handed Bemidji State University its sixth consecutive loss, 59-39, Saturday at the BSU Gymnasium.

Holding a 16-15 lead with 10:44 to go in the first half, the Wolves used a 17-3 run to stretch their lead to 15 points and the half (59-39) and vault themselves to their 15th consecutive win over the Beavers dating back Jan. 27th, 1996.

Liza Sizer and Miranda Boepple led the Wolves' offensive attack gathering 10 points apiece while Noelle Hall pulled down 12 of her game-high 14 boards in the first half as Northern State held a 49-39 rebounding edge in the game.

Sizer and Boeeple combined for the first four points of the night to put NSU up 4-0 after 1:51 and the Wolves would never look back.

BSU kept NSU to within six points for the majority of the first 10 minutes of play and would come as close as one point (16-15) with just over 10 minutes to play on one of senior Allison Sanderberg's (Duluth, Minn.) two threes but would fail to score during the next nine minutes. The Wolves took advantage of the BSU drought rattling off 12 consecutive points to take a 15-point lead into the locker room at halftime (33-18).

BSU came out of the break to score the first four points and shrink its deficit to 11 (33-22) as sophomore Maggie Gernbacher (Bloomington, Minn.) hit a three and would knock down a free-throw on their next possession after being fouled, but that was as close as the Beavers would come.

Sisters Ali and Kristi Chmielewski scored the next six points to put Northern State up by 17 (39-22) with 14:09 to go in the game.

BSU put together two runs late in the game to come within 15 points, but could never get over the hump as NSU cruised to a 59-39 win.

Gernbacher led the Beavers in scoring for the second consecutive night totaling 12 points. Freshman Stephanie Peterson (Bismarck, N.D.) pitched in four points while grabbing a 10 a team-high rebounds.

BSU falls to 3-13 on the season and 0-4 in NSIC play marking the first time since 2001, when the Beavers dropped their first five league contests, that the Bemidji State has posted four consecutive losses to begin a conference season. The team will be back in action Friday and Saturday when it opens the road portion of its 2004-05 schedule by traveling to Southwest Minnesota State University (Jan. 21) and Wayne State College (Jan. 22). Both games are slated for 6:00 p.m. starts.