BEMIDJI, Minn. (BSU Gymnasium) (box score)
- The Bemidji State University women’s basketball team overcame a
11-point deficit with 7:42 left in the second half to earn a 60-51
victory over Upper Iowa University in the season finale at the BSU
Gymnasium on senior day Saturday night.
The
Beavers shot just 33.3 percent from the field (19-of-57) to the
Peacocks 44.9 percent (22-of-49) but forced Upper Iowa into nine more
turnovers (21-to-12). The Beavers also made eight more free-throws than
did Upper Iowa as BSU shot 14-of-17 (.824) from the charity stripe
while the Peacocks shot just 50.0 percent from the free-throw line
shooting 6-of-12.
Senior point guard Amy Lawson (Spencer, Iowa) and junior guard Heidi Matzke (Red Lake Falls, Minn.) led the Beavers in scoring as they each netted 15 points in the contest. Kristina Salscheider
(Jr., G, Cass Lake, Minn.) chipped in with a career-high on 4-of-6
shooting from the field and 2-of-3 from behind the three-point line. Stephanie Peterson
(Sr., C, Bismarck, N.D.) grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds for her
seventh 10-plus rebound game of the season and the 36th of her career.
Lawson dished out a game-high eight assists to go with her 15 points.
The
Peacocks were led by the duo of Chelsea Peterson and Andrea Downs who
each had double-digit scoring efforts with 11 and 10 points,
respectively. Britney Iredale led the Peacocks with eight rebounds
while Downs dished out a team best seven assists.
Bemidji State got off to a quick start as the Beavers jumped ahead of the Peacocks 8-2 off a Melissa Roberts
(Jr., F, Staples, Minn.) three-pointer at 16:06 left in the first half.
The Peacocks went on a 11-0 run over the next 4:43 to take a 11-8 lead
with just over 11-minutes left to play in the half.
In
a half of runs it was the Beavers turn as they regained the lead and
pushed their lead back to their largest of the half of six points
(19-13) with a 11-2 run over a 3:50 span. BSU would go cold in the
final 7:33 of the half as the Beavers final two points of the first
frame came off two Matzke free throws. The Peacocks ended the final
7:33 on a 12-2 run to take a four point lead into the half (25-21).
The Beavers finished the first half shooting 25.0 percent from the field (8-32) while the Peacocks shot 46.2 percent (12-26).
The
Peacocks continued its run at the beginning of the second half as they
outscored BSU 20-13 to claim their largest lead of the game of
11-points (45-34) with 7:42 left in the game. From that point the come
back was on for the Beavers. Lawson got the Beavers started as she hit
back-to-back three-pointers to bring the Beavers within six of the
Peacocks (46-40) with 6:44 remaining.
Upper
Iowa pushed their lead back to eight points (50-42) with 5:10 remaining
in the game. BSU slowly chipped away at the Peacocks lead as a
three-pointer by Salscheider followed by a old-fashioned three-point
play by Colleen McKay (Fr., F, Barnum, Minn.) closed
the gap to two-points (50-48) with 2:39 remaining. On the Beavers next
possession Salscheider hit her second three in a span of 1:51 to give
the Beavers its first lead since the 3:08 mark of the first half. BSU
went 7-of-7 from the free-throw line in the final 1:30 of the game to
help the Beavers end the game on a 18-1 run and earn the season sweep
over the Peacocks.
BSU is now 7-1 in the
all-time series with Upper Iowa and extended its winning streak to five
games versus the Peacocks. BSU has not lost to the Peacocks since UIU
entered the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC).
At
13-14 overall and 9-9 in NSIC play, the Beavers finish the regular
season in sole possession of sixth place in the NSIC. The team will
enter next week’s NSIC Women’s Basketball Tournament as the
No. 6 seed. BSU will now hit the road to battle No. 3 U-Mary (11-7;
16-10 NSIC) in a 7 p.m. NSIC Tournament tip off at the Activity Center
in Bismarck, N.D.
Bemidji State University,
located in Bemidji, Minn., is an NCAA Division II institution and a
member of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC).
--beavers--
