BEMIDJI, Minn. (BSU Gymnasium) -- Bemidji State University women's basketball fell into a scoring drought late Saturday afternoon that led to a comeback by St. Cloud State University at BSU Gymnasium. The Beavers ultimately fell, 57-53, after holding a 15-point lead in the third quarter to drop to 7-3 overall and 6-2 in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.

The Beavers went on a 10-minute scoreless span after holding an 11-point lead with 3:09 to play in the third quarter. BSU wasn't able to put points on the board until 2:44 in the fourth quarter when it faced an eight-point deficit. The Huskies scored 18 unanswered points as the Beavers went 0-of-8 shooting from the field with nine turnovers given away during the stretch.

Senior guard Brooklyn Bachmann led BSU with 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting while sophomore center Rachael Heittola followed with eight. BSU shot 36.7 percent from the field compared to 35.7 percent for SCSU, while the Huskies won the rebound margin, 36-32. The rebound advantage also led to nine second-chance points for SCSU and none for BSU.

Bemidji State capitalized on two St. Cloud State turnovers to start the game with two layups, including an and-one conversion by junior guard Trinity Myer for a 5-0 lead. Bachmann hit her only 3-pointer of the game four minutes later to extend the lead to eight, 10-2. Another 3-pointer from senior guard Sydney Zerr started the second quarter to push BSU's lead to double-digits while a jumper in the paint from Bachmann set the Beavers' game-high lead at 15, 35-20, with 1:44 in the first half.

BSU kept its lead above 10 points for the first half of the third quarter until SCSU went on an 8-2 run to pull within single-digits. Free throws from Bachmann pushed the lead back to 11 before a jumper from her with 3:09 in the third quarter, the final points for the Beavers until 2:44 in the fourth quarter. Heittola snapped the 10-minute scoreless streak with an and-one conversion followed by a layup from Bachmann to bring BSU to within four points, 55-51. The Beavers forced the Huskies to miss two shots over the final 1:36 of play but free throws in the final seconds closed the game.

Bemidji State will begin a four-game road trip to finish the regular season, beginning Feb. 12-13 with a weekend series at the University of Minnesota Duluth.

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