ST. PAUL, Minn. -- The Bemidji State University women's basketball
team broke the seal on the 2005-06 Northern Sun Intercollegiate
Conference season dropping a 73-65 overtime thriller to Concordia
University-St. Paul Friday evening at the Gangelhoff Center.
Despite a valiant comeback including a pair of clutch shots
in the final minute of play, the Beavers allowed the Golden
Bears to take the first seven points of the extra period and
could never recover.
Amy Lawson (So., PG, Spencer,
Iowa) would get the Beavers on scoreboard first finding a
seam in the CSP defense for a layup 1:15 into the game. The
Beavers would stretch the lead to as many as eight before
CSP's Mary Schroeder hit a jumper with 39 seconds to play
in the half to cap and 7-0 run and knot the game at 23-23.
In an evenly played second half that saw
the score tied on 10 occasions and change hands 11 times,
CSP took its largest lead of the final 20 minutes, 39-34,
with 13:05 to go in regulation. The Beavers would counter
by netting seven straight points as Nancy McConkey
(Jr., F, Superior, Wis.) knocked down a free-throw and completed
the old fashion three-point play putting BSU up 41-39 at the
midway point of the half.
The teams would trade baskets until the home
team went up by three (56-53) with 1:56 to go. Three-point
sharp-shooter Maggie Gernbacher (Jr., G,
Bloomington, Minn.) knocked down a three to get BSU back in
the game, 56-56.
The Golden Bears would run the clock down
and get the shot they wanted as Ashley Smith converted an
open lay-up to put CSP up 58-56 with 10 seconds left on the
clock.
Just when it seemed as though time was running
out on the Beavers, Katherine Bremmer (Jr., G, Granite Falls,
Minn., in for the injured Lawson, drove the right side and
hit a jumper from the baseline to tie the game as time ran
out.
But the Beavers string of luck would run
out as the Golden Bears opened the extra stanza with seven
consecutive points. BSU would whittle the CSP lead down to
three (65-62), but the home team was too strong down the stretch
hitting 6-of-6 from the line claiming the 73-65 2005-06 NSIC
opener.
The pair of Stephanie Peterson
(So., C, Bismarck, N.D.) and McConkey paced the Beavers each
recording double-double totals. Peterson equaled a career-high
with 16 points while grabbing 13 boards for her fifth double-double
of the season while McConkey posted a team-high 17 points
and matched Peterson with a game-high 13 rebounds for her
first double-double of 2005-06. Bremmer added a career-best
nine points including the 10-foot jumper to tie the game at
as time ran out in regulation.
Concordia-St. Paul was led by Ashley Smith
who netted a game-high 22 points. She added 12 rebounds to
lead the team in the win.
The overtime contest was the first for BSU
since Feb. 21, 2004. BSU is now 11-13 in overtime contests
since the 1978-79 season.
The loss drops BSU to 6-7 overall and 0-1
in NSIC play while CSP improves to 9-4 overall and 1-0 in
the league. The Golden Bears have now defeated BSU in each
of the last 11 contests dating back to 2000-01.
The Beavers will attempt to even their record
tomorrow when they travel to Winona State University for a
6:00 p.m. tip-off versus the Warriors.
