BEMIDJI, Minn. -- A second half rally for the Bemidji State University
women's basketball team fell short of materializing Saturday
as the Beavers dropped a tough Northern Sun Intercollegiate
Conference match-up to the University of Minnesota-Crookston,
80-79, at the BSU Gymnasium.
Down by as many as seven (50-43) in the second
half, BSU consistently chipped away at the Golden Eagle Lead
during the final 20 minutes. The Beavers used a six-point
run to tie the contest (59-59) by the midway point and continued
to apply pressure leading by four (77-73) with just under
three minutes to go. But down the stretch UMC's clutch shooting
was too much for BSU.
Junior Maggie Gernbacher (G,
Bloomington, Minn.) led a crew of four BSU players in double-figures
netting 19 points on 7-of-11 from the field and 5-of-9 from
beyond the arc. Karlee Simonson (So., F,
Rockford, Minn.) added 16 points and a team-high six assists.
Stephanie Peterson (So., C, Bismarck, N.D.)
combined 14 points with a game-best 10 boards for her team-high
eighth double-double of the season while Nancy McConkey
(Jr., Superior, Wis.) rounded out BSU's top players scoring
10 points on the night.
The Golden Eagles were led by Karna Plaine
who poured in a game-high 25 points on 6-of-14 from the floor,
3-of-5 from downtown and a perfect 10-of-10 from the line.
Twin sisters Kari and Carly Score added matching 14-point
efforts while Jeny Martinson's game-winning free-throw with
16.9 seconds left in the game put her at 14 on the night.
The Golden Eagles took the first commanding
lead of the game when they scored four consecutive three-point
baskets to spark a 14-point run to go up 20-7 just halfway
into the first half. But the Beavers would counter with a
10-2 run of their own to slice the lead to three (22-19) with
9:31 before the half.
Bemidji State climbed to within one point
(36-35) with 5:04 to play in the half, but early foul trouble
put UMC in a bonus situation early and the Golden Eagles took
advantage of those opportunities hitting 12-of-13 free-throws
in the final five minutes of the half to scoot into the locker
room with a 48-41 advantage at the break.
The UMC lead would hover around five points
for the first 10 minutes of the second half. But when McConkey
hit lay ups on back-to-back possessions it kick-started a
9-1 BSU run as Gernbacher punctuated the run with a three-pointer
with 9:52 to play to give BSU its first lead since the 15:31
mark of the first half.
The Beavers used a Heidi Matzke
(Fr., G, Red Lake Falls, Minn.) three with 2:56 to play to
take its largest lead of the contest, 77-73, but Kari Score's
free-throws followed by a layup knotted the game (77-77) with
1:57 to play.
After a Plaine 15-foot jumper put UMC up
two (79-77), Peterson responded with a layup to tie the game
for the seventh time of the night with less than a minute
to play.
BSU put Martinson at the line with 16.9 seconds
remaining in regulation. After missing the front end of her
two-shot foul, she drained the second to put the Golden Eagles
up 80-79.
Bemidji State had two chances to win the
game in the final 16 seconds but the team failed to make good
on either opportunity as time ran out and UMC escaped with
the 80-79 win.
The loss drops BSU to 8-11 overall and 2-5
in NSIC play while the Golden Eagles improved to 6-14 on the
season and are now 3-4 in the NSIC.
Bemidji State steps back into non-conference
play for the final time of the season Thursday (Feb. 2) when
it host 2006-07 NSIC member Upper Iowa University in a 6 p.m.
tip-off to wrap up its four-game homestand. Then it is off
to Crookston, Minn. to avenge tonight's loss as the team battles
Minnesota-Crookston in NSIC play. Tip-off for the game is
slated for 6 p.m. at UMC's Lysaker Gymnasium.
