ABERDEEN, S.D. (Wachs Arena) - Northern State University’s Wachs Arena has always been a tough place for BSU to play and Friday, the Bemidji State University women’s basketball team again struggled to play its game, dropping the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) to the Wolves, 79-65.

NSU grabbed a 42-24 advantage on the glass, got to the line four more times than the Beavers and scored 10 more second chance points and fast break points on their way to their ninth win of the season (9-6) and the team’s fifth in NSIC play (5-3).

Kiki Phillips (Fr., F, Spencer, Wis.), making just her second start of the season, continued her success from last weekend posting a career-high 18 points draining seven of her 13 field goal attempts with a career-high 4-of-7 effort from three-point range in a career-high 29 minutes. In her last three games she has averaged 10.7 points per game.

Sydney Epema (Fr., G, Crookston, Minn.) netted her eighth double-digit point game of the season with 14 points while Colleen McKay (So., F, Barnum, Minn.) nabbed a team-high seven rebounds.

NSU was led by five players who reach double-figure point totals. Megan Kusler and Mikayla Barondeau each netted 15 points while Lennea Mueller had 13 points with Krista Rabenberg and Emily Becken rounding out the Wolves double-digit scoring with 11 points each. Rabenberg grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds while Barondeau added 11 to round out double-double performances.

The first twenty minutes was a back and forth battle as neither team was able to separate themselves from the other trading the lead 16 times in the first half. BSU seemed to have taken control of the first half as they built their lead to as large as five (34-29) off one of Phillips four three pointers with just under three minutes left in the half.

NSU used a 9-1 run over the next 1:53 to capture its eighth lead of the half (38-36) with :53 left but a three-pointer by Phillips followed by a Epema jumper at the halftime buzzer gave BSU just its third halftime lead of the season (41-39).

The Beavers shot a scorching 59.3-percent (16-27) from the field and 58-3-percent (7-of-12) from the three-point arc while Northern State was 13-of-26 (.500) from the field and 5-of-8 (.625) from behind the three-point arc in the half. The biggest difference in the half was the Wolves 11 rebound advantage while shooting ten more free-throws than the Beavers.

The see-saw battle continued in the second half as NSU came out of the break to rattle off seven straight point to push its lead to (46-41) with over 16 minutes to play.

The teams continued to trade baskets with BSU cutting the Wolves lead to one four times before a Megan Bates (Fr., G, Brainerd, Minn.) layup gave BSU a 58-57 lead with 7:04 left in the game. The Beavers lead was short lived as the Wolves Jenna Higgins hit a jumper on their next possession to give NSU the lead for good (59-58).

Within four minutes NSU held an six point advantage and despite Bemidji State cutting the lead to three points (68-65) with 3:03 left in the second half, the Wolves continued to press as they shot 4-of-6 from the field in the final three minutes, gaining their largest lead of the night (79-65) on a pair of free-throws with four seconds remaining.

The Wolves used a 48.5-percent (16-33) performance in the second half to out shoot BSU from the floor in the game. The team torched the nets from three-point land hitting 10-of-16 on the night including a 5-of-8 stretch in the final 20 minutes.

Northern State continues its dominance over the Beavers in the all-time series with the win. The Wolves are now 42-8 versus BSU all-time and have won 40 of the last 44 contest when facing the Beavers.

Bemidji State (2-14; 0-9 NSIC) will be back in action tomorrow evening when the team travels to Bismarck, N.D. to take on the University of Mary Marauders from the Activity Center at 6 p.m.

Notes: Phillips nets career-high 18 points...NSU has five players record double-digit points...Rabenberg and Barondeau net double-doubles for Wolves...BSU 2-14 record is the worst start since 2004-05...BSU is on a 12 game losing skid, longest in school history...BSU starts conference season 0-9, first time since 2004-05 season.

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

--beavers--