Dec. 29, 2005

BEMIDJI, Minn. -- [box score] St. Cloud State University junior All-American candidate Erika Quigley led the No. 6 Huskies to an 81-62 victory over the Bemidji State University women's basketball team Thursday evening at the BSU Gymnasium. Quigley netted a game-high 32 points while grabbing 20 rebounds and collecting eight blocked shots as SCSU improved its perfect record to 13-0.

"The key to beating a great team like St. Cloud State is to eliminate its second chances. In the first half they had 16 offensive rebounds and I really thought we came out a little sluggish, like we just came off of break," commented BSU head coach Mike Curfman after the game. "You just can't do that against a team that is ranked as high as they are or is as good as they are and we paid for it."

Both teams struggled out of the gates, but it was SCSU that took an early lead scoring the first five points of the contest while BSU missed its first four attempts and failed to generate any points in its first five possessions. The Huskies would go on to extend its lead to eight points (13-5) before the 10-minute mark of the half as BSU made good on just two of its first 16 shots (.125).

The Beavers would whittle the Huskies' advantage to five points (16-11) as Nancy McConkey (Jr., F, Superior, Wis.) garnered back-to-back layups, but the Huskies countered with an 11-4 run to take its largest lead of the first half, 32-17, with 3:28 to play in the stanza.

SCSU would hold BSU back taking a 14-point (38-24) lead into the locker rooms at halftime.

"We shot 22 percent in the first half and got out rebounded 37-15," added Curfman. "Those two things don't lead up to a very successful half. The amazing thing is that we were only down by 14 at halftime. We should have been down by allot more than that."

BSU's head coach added, "I will give us credit. We did fight back in the second half. It just takes too much to come back on a team like St. Cloud."

The Beavers came out of the break to cut the deficit to eight points (51-43) with 11:17 to play as Karlee Simonson (So., F, Rockford, Minn.) collected four of her team-high 12 points on a BSU 8-2 run capped with a Simonson assist on a Melissa Roberts (Fr., G, Staples, Minn.) layup.

But SCSU was just too strong and used a 20-of-26 effort from the free-throw line in the second half to kill any momentum BSU could build.

After BSU again reeled SCSU to within eight (67-59) with 4:31 to play in regulation, St. Cloud State rattled off 14 of the next 15 points, with eight coming from the line, to take its largest lead of the game, 21 points (81-62), with less than a minute to play.

The Huskies held on to win the game 81-62.

Simonson and McConkey each collected 12 points in the win as Simonson led Bemidji State in scoring and on the glass for the second consecutive game adding nine rebounds. Stephanie Peterson (So., C, Bismarck, N.D.) also netted a double-digit point total with 10 while adding one of BSU's two blocks.

In addition to Quigley, Shannon Francis pitched in 13 points leading all players with three three-point field goals and added 10 rebounds for the Huskies' second double-double of the night. Sascha Hanson added 10 points, nine rebounds and eight assists as SCSU took a 66-34 advantage on the glass.

BSU (5-6; 0-0 NSIC) wraps up its current seven-game homestand Saturday (Dec. 31) when it welcomes Carleton College (5-4; 3-2 MIAC) and will attempt to even its record to 6-6 by ringing in the new year with a win. The contest is slated for a 1 p.m. tip-off at the BSU Gymnasium.