BEMIDJI, Minn. (BSU Gymnasium) [box score] -- The Bemidji State women’s basketball team extend its win streak to four games as the Beavers upended the Wayne State College Wildcats, 77-70 from the BSU Gymnasium on Saturday evening.

Bemidji State out rebounded the Wildcats by 13 (44-31) in the contest and was able to force 22 Wildcat turnovers to help secure the seven point victory. BSU dominated the Wildcats in the paint as the Beavers out scored WSC 36-22 in the paint and recorded seven more second chance points than the Wildcats in the game (16-9).

Stephanie Peterson (Sr., C, Bismarck, N.D.) led a trio of players in double-figures with a season-high 18 points and 12 rebounds. Joining her as BSU ‘s top scorers were Colleen McKay (Fr., C, Barnum, Minn.) who netted a career-high 17 points, Heidi Matzke (Jr., G, Red Lake Falls, Minn.) who recorded 16 points, grabbing five rebounds and dishing out five assists and Karlee Simonson (Jr., F, Rockford, Minn.) chipped in with 10 points eight rebounds and four assist.

With 18 points and 12 rebounds Peterson garnered her fourth double-double performance of the season and the 27th of her career.

Teresa Case and Kati Jo Christensen paced the Beaver offensive effort as they each had 11 points while Jennifer Yee added 10 points. Mara Hjelle hauled in a team-best eight rebounds.

Peterson would get BSU on the board with a layup to tie the game at 2-2, but the Wildcats played right with BSU early leading the Beavers twice in the first 2:26 seconds. But the advantage would be short lived. During the next 1:30, Bemidji State rattled off seven consecutive points, including five from McKay, to stretch its lead to 11-5.

WSC would withstand the early Beavers’ run and would battle back to cut its deficit to two, 11-9, with just over fifteen minutes to play in the half. Laquisha Cook and Kylee McGill each had layups to bring the Wildcats back within two points. The Beavers pushed its lead to as large as five points, 27-22 with 7:29 remaining in the half but the Wildcats put together a 9-3 run to regain the lead at 31-30.

A layup by Peterson put BSU back in front, 32-31, as the Beavers extended its lead to four points at the halftime break, 40-36.

As the second half got underway, the teams pushed its lead back up to eight points, 46-38, as the Beavers netted the first six points of the half. The two teams traded baskets for nearly a 10-minute stretch. With the score 58-52 in favor of the Beavers, BSU would rattle off five straight points for its largest lead of the game, 63-52.

WSC was able to reel BSU to within seven points on seven separate occasions, but that was as close as it would come as Bemidji State powered through to complete the win, 77-70.

Heidi Matzke continues to shine in the second half as she netted 12 of her 16 points in the second half of tonight’s game and is averaging 15.3 points in the second half of her last three games.

Despite not having one of its best shooting efforts of the season hitting just 29-of-66 (.439) and one-of-four beyond the three-point arc, BSU outshot the Wildcats who were 24-55 (.436) with a 8-for-23 (.348) effort from downtown.

With the victory, BSU improves to 12-19 all-time versus Wayne State College and makes it three straight over the Wildcats.

Bemidji State (4-2; 2-0 NSIC) returns to action next weekend when it hits the road for a pair of Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference tilts. The Beavers make their inaugural trip to Moorhead, Minn. to play MSU Moorhead Friday evening. Saturday, the team will travel to St. Paul, Minn. to take on Concordia-St. Paul. Both games are set for 8 p.m. starts.

Bemidji State University, located in Bemidji, Minn., is an NCAA Division II institution and a member of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC).