ST. PAUL, Minn. -- The Bemidji State University women’s basketball team fell 85-62 to the No. 23 Concordia University Golden Bears at the Gangelhoff Center Friday in a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference contest. Freshman Shannon Thompson (G, Rosemount, Minn.) went 5-of-7 from the 3-point line, en route to a career-high 19 points.

The first seven minutes of the first half saw five lead changes and two ties, as BSU had a 18-16 lead with 12:59 remaining. The Golden Bears then went on an 8-0 run to grab a 24-18 lead with 9:36 left in the frame. CU got its lead to nine at 32-26 before the Beavers (9-5, 3-4 NSIC) went on a run of its own. With 1:23 remaining, a sophomore Samantha Baldwin (G, St. Thomas, N.D.) free throw tied the contest 35-35. Unfortunately for BSU, the home team went on a 5-0 run to take a 40-35 lead, giving the Beavers the last shot with 30 seconds remaining. Thompson’s 15th and 16th points of the half cut the deficit to three and road team went into the locker room down 47-50.

CU increased its lead to six in the first minute of the second half, owning a 43-37 lead. BSU then went on an 8-0 run to grab a two point advantage, thanks to three points from Thompson and three from freshman center Emily Kaus (Eagan, Minn.). The Golden Bears regained the lead at 16:01 of the half and then held a small lead as the the two teams traded hoops for five minutes. A sophomore Taylor Davis (F, Crookston, Minn.) layup cut the CU lead to four at 55-51 with 11:37 left. The Golden Bears then caught fire and blazed to a 20 point lead on a 20-4 run over five minutes. The Beavers were never able to recover and lost by 23.

BSU had its worst shooting game of the season, hurling 31.7 percent. CU shot 48.5 percent from the field in the game and had five different players score 10-plus points. Freshman Katie Pettit (G, Howard Lake, Minn.) scored 10 points, while adding four rebounds and two assists. Thompson was 6-of-11 from the field in the game and posted a team-high four assists.

The Beavers finish the NSIC road trip at St. Cloud State Jan. 9 at 4 p.m..

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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