BEMIDJI, Minn. -- The Bemidji State University women’s basketball team used a complete team effort to defeat University of Mary 71-61 in a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference game played at BSU Gymnasium. Junior Colleen McKay (F, Barnum, Minn.) had 10 points and 10 rebounds in the win, recording the third double-double of her career.

“What a great team effort,” said head coach Mike Curfman. “We had key contributions from every player tonight. We got some real good post play from Colleen McKay, Heather Sampson, Taylor Davis and Jessie Althoff. I thought we were patient on offense and made some key stops on defense.”

Four players scored in double-figures and all 10 BSU players scored, with freshman Jessie Althoff (C, Becker, Minn.) leading the way with 11. She was 4-of-4 from the field, 1-for-1 from the 3-point line and 2-of-2 from the charity stripe. Sophomore Samantha Baldwin (G, St. Thomas, N.D.) had a solid game in her first start of the season with 10 points, six rebounds and three steals, shooting 3-of-5 from the field and a perfect 4-of-4 from the line. Sophomore Taylor Davis (F, Crookston, Minn.), who is averaging 20.3 points per game in her last three games, had 10 with four rebounds. McKay’s double-double is the fourth by a Beaver player this season. Freshman Emily Kaus (C, Eagan, Minn.) has two and freshman Katie Pettit (G, Howard Lake, Minn.) has the one.

Baldwin scored the first points of the game with 18:21 on the scoreboard to give BSU a 2-0 lead. The Beavers (10-7, 4-6 NSIC) then had the lead all the way to the 6:35 mark, holding a lead as large as eight. The Marauders then took their first lead of the game at 21-20. The two teams traded buckets to a tie score of 24-24 with 1:54 on the clock. U-Mary closed the half on a 6-1 run to take a 30-25 lead into the locker room.

The Beavers shot out of halftime on a mission and turned the five point deficit into a one point lead with a 8-2 run over the frame’s first three minutes. BSU continued to roll, getting scoring and defense from its entire roster. At the 8:36 mark, the Beavers were up 53-44 and never looked back, sustaining their high pace of play on both ends of the floor. The closest U-Mary got was at the 6:07 mark when it was down 55-48, but a sophomore Sydney Epema (G, Crookston, Minn.) trademark 3-pointer squashed any opening for a run and the Beavers rolled to the 10-point victory.

BSU shot 43.9 percent in the game to the Marauders’ 40 percent. The Beavers outrebounded (38-32) U-Mary and committed less turnovers (14-18). Epema had nine points and five rebounds. Sophomore Heather Sampson (C, Brooklyn Park, Minn.) played a career-high 12 minutes, scoring four points.

The Beavers complete their conference 3-game homestand with the University of Minnesota Duluth Jan. 23 at 2 p.m. in the BSU Gymnasium.

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

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