BEMIDJI, Minn. (BSU Gymnasium) – The Bemidji State University women’s basketball team fell to University of Minnesota Duluth Friday, 85-56 in a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference game at BSU Gymnasium. The Beavers’ overall record dropped to 11-14 and 7-14 in the NSIC. Junior guard Morgan Lee (Hayward, Wis.) led the team in scoring with 18 points and five rebounds.
The Bulldogs only shot 40.3 percent from the field, but pulled in 23 offensive rebounds and created 28 BSU turnovers to earn 20 more shot attempts than the Beavers. UMD totaled 20 second chance points and recorded a lop-sided 33-6 advantage in points off turnovers. The Bulldogs made 24 free throws in the game, one more than BSU attempted at 16-for-23 (69.6%). Bemidji State posted 33.3 percent from beyond the arc while UMD only recorded 25.9 percent.
The first basket of the game went to Minnesota Duluth, which was answered with a layup from Kate Warmack (Jr., C, East Grand Forks, Minn.) to tie the game 2-2. Unfortunately for the Beavers, it was the closest they would get to their opponents for the rest of the game, as UMD hit a 3-pointer and never again trailed.
With 13:26 left in the first half, UMD missed six shots in just over a minute, which included five shots on one possession. Fortunately for the Beavers, the Bulldogs didn’t score on the flurry and a senior Shannon Thompson (Rosemount, Minn.) 3-pointer with 11:09 remaining got BSU within four at 16-12.
BSU kept up with the Bulldogs throughout most of the first half, never going more than two and a half minutes without a bucket. With 7:05 left in the half a free throw by sophomore Melissa Youngblut (G/F, Davenport, Iowa) put the Beavers within four points of UMD, 19-15. The Bulldogs then proceeded to post an 11-3 run to open a 12-point lead at 30-18 with 4:35 left in the half.
The Bulldog lead went to 15 on a 3-pointer from the corner with 16 ticks left, but a jumper by senior Emily Kaus (C, Eagan, Minn.) with two seconds left finished the first half with the home team trailing by a manageable 41-28 margin.
The second half opened with four Bulldog points, then a layup from junior forward Jessie Althoff (Becker, Minn), but with 17:58 left in the half UMD started a nine point run that lasted 1:16, which was interrupted by a free throw from Lee.
The free throw didn’t deter the Bulldogs, as it posted another run and with 12:56 left to play, Althoff’s two points from the charity stripe that cut the deficit to 30 points, 66-36.
With 8:14 left in the game the Beavers went into a scoreless 2:26 while the Bulldogs were able to sink four points, the lull was interrupted by a free throw shot from Warmack that brought the score to 79-46. The Beavers finished the game with an eight point run in the final 2:47 left in play, but fell 85-56.
The Beavers are back in action Saturday at 4 p.m. at the BSU Gymnasium where they’ll take on St. Cloud State University in their final regular game of the season.
For more information on the Bemidji State women’s basketball program, follow the Beavers on Twitter (@BemidjiStateWBB or @BSUBeavers), like them on Facebook (facebook.com/BemidjiStateWomen’sBasketball or facebook.com/BSUBeavers) or sign up for the TXTUpdates from BSUBeavers.com text-messaging system through the "Mulitmedia" pull down menu on the main page of BSUBeavers.com.
Nestled in Northern Minnesota’s wooded region and located on the shore of Lake Bemidji, Bemidji State University sponsors 15 varsity athletic programs with NCAA Division I men’s and women’s hockey membership in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, while its 13 NCAA Division II programs hold membership in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC).
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