SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Stewart Center) -- The scoring duo of senior guard Trinity Yoder and sophomore forward Rachael Heittola combined for 41 points Friday night as Bemidji State University women's basketball fell at the University of Sioux Falls, 66-59. The Beavers fall to 9-7 overall and 7-5 in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference as the Cougars controlled the boards to score 23 second-chance points.

Yoder led all scorers with 22 points on 7-of-11 shooting, in addition to 7-of-7 from the free throw line, with five rebounds, five steals and four assists. Heittola finished with 19 points on 6-of-14 shooting, including 5-of-6 from the free throw line, with seven rebounds, two assists and two steals. Junior forward Taylor Vold chipped in nine points on 3-of-5 from the field with one 3-pointer.

The majority of the first quarter's points came by way of the free throw line, as BSU went 7-of-8 from the charity stripe compared to 4-of-6 for USF. Two of Bemidji State's three field goals in the quarter came from Vold within the final 2:19, including a 3-pointer to give the Beavers a 14-11 lead heading into the second quarter.

While both teams went 3-of-3 from the free throw line in the second quarter, USF won the rebound battle and made three more field goals than BSU. Yoder completed an and-one opportunity for a first-half-high lead of six points, 17-11, early in the quarter. BSU and USF traded the next nine scores until the Cougars closed the final 5:31 of the first half on a 12-3 run. Yoder put in BSU's lone field goal of the run as BSU went 1-of-10 from the field to trail at the halftime break, 31-28.

Heittola reached double-digit scoring with her first 3-pointer of the game, tying the game at 31-31 just over one minute into the second half. She again tied the game, 36-36, over two minutes later with her second 3-pointer of the night. USF followed with an 17-4 run over the final 5:59 of the third quarter, limiting BSU to 1-of-7 from the field with two turnovers to take a 53-40 lead.

Heittola started a stretch of 10 straight scores alternating between BSU and USF over a span of nearly five minutes. The Cougars lead was then extended to a game-high 16 points, 66-50, with 4:12 to play, before a 9-0 run by the Beavers to finish the game.

The Beavers and Cougars both shot below their season averages while BSU shot its lowest percentage from the field since Nov. 26 versus the University of Sciences. Bemidji State went 35.8 percent from the floor (19-53), 33.3 percent from beyond the arc (5-15) and 80.0 percent from the free throw line (16-18). BSU's 15 3-point attempts are the second fewest from the team this season.

Bemidji State finishes its four-game road trip Saturday with a 3:30 p.m. tip-off at Southwest Minnesota State University.

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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