ST. CLOUD, Minn. (Halenbeck Hall) -- Bemidji State University women's basketball faced an uphill battle after a tough first half Saturday, ultimately ending with a 69-51 loss at St. Cloud State University at Halenbeck Hall in St. Cloud, Minn. The Beavers dropped to 2-4 overall and 0-2 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play after making just six field goals in the first half.

Bemidji State' scoring woes began early as St. Cloud State jumped out to an 8-0 lead. The Beavers missed their first five field goals and gave away three turnovers over the first five minutes. Senior guard Brooklyn Bachmann put in BSU's first points of the game followed by a jumper from senior forward Claire Wolhowe to cut SCSU's lead to 8-4. Bemidji State gave away another three turnovers and missed its next four field goals to face a 17-5 deficit heading into the second quarter.

The second quarter was much of the same for BSU is it shot 3-of-13 from the field compared to 8-of-18 for SCSU. The Huskies built a 33-7 lead before seniors Taylor Vold and Trinity Yoder converted field goals in the final minute before halftime for a BSU deficit of 35-11.

Bemidji State outscored St. Cloud State in the third quarter, matching its total field goals from the first half. The Beavers totaled 14 points compared to 11 for the Huskies during the third quarter and also won a high-scoring fourth quarter, 26-23.

The Beavers finished the game shooting 39.2 percent from the field (20-51) and 26.3 percent from 3-point range (5-19) while the Huskies shot 47.5 percent from the floor (28-59) and 40.0 percent from long distance (4-10). SCSU narrowly won the rebound margin, 34-32, but turned nine offensive rebounds into 13 second-chance points.

Senior guard Sydney Zerr was the only Beaver with double-digit scoring at 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting, including 3-of-6 from 3-point range. Bachmann and sophomore center Rachael Heittola each led BSU on the boards with six rebounds each.

Bemidji State continues its conference schedule on the road Tuesday, Dec. 7 at the University of Minnesota Crookston before a home weekend Dec. 10-11 against Minnesota State University Moorhead and Northern State University.

For more information on the Bemidji State athletic programs, tickets or schedules, visit BSUBeavers.com, follow the Beavers on Twitter (@BSUBeavers), like them on Facebook (facebook.com/BSUBeavers).

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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