MARSHALL, Minn. -- The Bemidji State women's basketball team held
a lead over Southwest Minnesota State University for the first
34:43 of play Saturday evening at the R/A Facility, but a
motivated Mustang team fought back to grab is first lead of
the game with just over five minutes to go and would never
look back handing the Beavers their second consecutive Northern
Sun Intercollegiate Conference loss, 71-63.
The Beavers led by as many as 11 in the first
half and held a nine-point advantage early in the second,
but a 10-2 run before the midway point of the second stanza
followed by a 7-1 run late in the half, capped by a Kristin
Hairston lay-up, would put the Mustangs in front and the team
would never trail again.
The Beavers were led by freshman Colleen
Boell (G, Burnsville, Minn.) who posted 15 points
on 5-of-13 from the floor and a 4-of-7 effort from three-point
range. Amy Lawson (So., PG, Spencer, Iowa)
added 13 points and five assists while Karlee Simonson
(So., F, Rockford, Minn.) netted 12 points and grabbed a team-best
11 rebounds for her fourth double-double of the season.
BSU's leading scorer Maggie Gernbacher
(Jr., G, Bloomington, Minn.) was not only held in check by
the SMSU defense, she failed to attempt a field goal in 25
minutes of play. She did however tally four points on 4-of-5
from the free-throw line.
Sara Leidall led all players with 23 points
hitting 9-of-16 of her attempts while equaling Simonson for
game-high honors on the glass with 11. Teammates Hairston
and Megan Wittkop added 16 and 14 points respectively.
BSU burst into the R/A Facility to claim
a 9-0 lead just 3:20 into the game as Lawson notched five
her 13 points during that span.
The Beavers' lead would hover around seven
points for the bulk of the first 10 minutes, but when Boell
hit a three with 7:11 remaining in the half it would supply
Bemidji State with its largest lead of the game, 24-13. BSU
would twice reclaim the 11-point advantage and would coast
into the halftime break up 35-29.
The Mustangs came out of the locker room
to hit the first two field goals of the second half, cutting
the BSU lead to four points (37-33), but a pair of free-throws
and a quick three by Lawson gave the Beavers a nine-point
cushion with 17:05 remaining in the game.
SMSU's Leidall hit a jumper jumper less than
30 seconds later to spark the team's 10-2 run slicing the
BSU lead to one point (44-43) with 13:23 to play.
The Beavers built their lead back to as many
as five points (59-54) with 7:15 to go, but a 7-2 run would
put give the Mustangs their first lead of the contest and
the team would go in front for good on a Alaura Sharpe jumper
with 4:09 to go. SMSU gained a 71-63 victory and climbed into
a three-way tie with BSU and the University off Minnesota-Crookston
for fifth place in the conference standings with just four
regular-season tilts remaining on the 2005-06 slate.
The Mustangs held a 43-40 edge on the glass
and out shooting the Beavers on the night 41 (25-59) to 32
(19-58) percent.
The SMSU win earned the Mustangs a season
series split versus the Beavers and Mustang head coach Mike
Power avenges an 89-87 overtime loss to his former team, Jan.
20th.
BSU returns home to begin a four-game homestand
to cap the 2005-06 season with a pair of NSIC contests next
weekend. The Beavers welcome Northern State University Friday
and will host Minnesota State University-Moorhead Saturday.
Both games are set for 6 p.m. tip-offs in the in the BSU Gymnasium.
