CROOKSTON, Minn. (Lysaker Gymnasium) -- A balanced attack from Bemidji State University women's basketball's 3-point shooting and post-play guided the team to an 86-80 win at the University of Minnesota Crookston Tuesday night in Crookston, Minn. The Beavers improved to 3-4 overall and 1-2 in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference after sinking a season-high 12 3-pointers.

Junior guard Maddie Schires led the 3-point barrage with five 3-pointers for 17 points, setting or meeting season-highs in both categories. Schires scored 11 of her 17 points in the fourth quarter, while BSU totaled 35 points as a team over the final 10 minutes.

Sophomore center Rachael Heittola chipped in six of her team-high 22 points in the fourth quarter, shooting 8-of-13 from the field through the game. Senior guard Trinity Yoder recorded her third career double-double with 15 points and 10 assists.

Heittola scored the first seven points of the game for BSU, ending with her first 3-pointer and a 7-3 lead. Junior forward Taylor Vold put in a layup for a quick 9-3 run while the Beavers held on to their six-point lead until 5:05, 15-9. The Golden Eagles went on a 10-0 run after the five-minute media timeout, taking a 19-15 lead with just over one minute before the second quarter.

After Yoder and Heittola tied the game at 19-19 heading into the second quarter, UMC went on a 6-0 run over a span of 2:34. Schires hit the first of her five 3-pointers on the night to spark an 11-2 run for the Beavers. Schires hit another 3-pointer to end the run, taking a 30-27 lead with 5:54 before halftime. Bemidji State held on to its three-point lead until a late UMC layup gave BSU a 36-35 lead.

Bemidji State scored four of the game's first six points to start the second half and extended its lead to seven, 46-39, after back-to-back 3-pointers from senior guard Sydney Zerr and Bachmann. UMC's Kylie Post scored the game's next seven points to tie the game just before five straight points from junior guard Coley Rezabek to regain the lead. UMC closed the third quarter on a 9-0 run as BSU gave the ball away on three turnovers and went 0-of-3 on field goals.

BSU's 35-point, fourth quarter began as Yoder and Schires hit 3-pointers to keep the Beavers within one score of the Golden Eagles. Bemidji State went on a 10-2 run over a span of 1:47 before following with another run of 7-3 to take a 74-71 lead with 3:09 to play. UMC tied the game with a 3-pointer before Heittola surpassed the 20-point mark on an and-one conversion, starting a 12-4 run that nearly spanned the rest of the game. BSU went 8-of-9 from the free throw line over the final 2:37 as five different Beavers scored.

The Beavers shot 47.6 percent from the field (30-63), 46.2 from 3-point range (12-26) and 66.7 from the free throw line (14-21). BSU won the battle on the boards, 40-32, including 10 offensive rebounds that led to 10 second-chance points. UMC took advantage of 13 BSU turnovers for 16 points.

Bemidji State continues its conference schedule Dec. 10-11 with a home weekend 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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