BEMIDJI, Minn. – The Bemidji State University Women's Basketball team's fourth quarter comeback fell just short in the 69-64 loss to Southwest Minnesota State University in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play Friday night at the BSU Gymnasium. Starting the fourth quarter, the Beavers (5-14, 2-13 NSIC) trailed the Mustangs (12-8, 9-6 NSIC) by 10 and cut the lead to two with 1:30 to play but could not connect the rest of the game.
     
Sam Pogatchnik started the game off blocking SMSU's first shot, which Alyssa Hill followed that up by putting the Beavers on the board first with a layup. Both teams held a lead in the first quarter with Jana Swanson making a free throw to give BSU a three-point lead at 5-2. The Mustangs pulled to their largest lead of the quarter two minutes after with a three-point field goal from Peyton Blandin to stretch the advantage to four, 9-5. Bemidji State ended the quarter on top at 18-16 with Trinity Yoder leading the team with eight points.
 
Bemidji State held its lead for a majority of the second quarter. Isabel Majewski made a deep shot to put BSU up by five at 29-24 near the midway point of the quarter. Hannah Parsley responded with a three of her own for the Mustangs, just to watch Majewski answer with her third triple of the game to keep the lead at five. Bri Stoltzman connected on a layup for the last basket of the half to put SMSU up 33-32.
 
Coming out of the half, the Mustangs continued their run of 11 straight points to pull ahead by six. Alyssa Hill broke up the momentum and snapped the run with a free throw and layup to keep the deficit at just three, 38-35. SMSU began to cushion its lead as the third quarter ticked away pulling ahead by 10 with under a minute. Pogatchnik ended the quarter with a three-point play leaving SMSU with the 57-50 lead entering the final frame.
 
Starting the final quarter, BSU and SMSU traded blows, but a Blandin three-pointer put the Mustangs back on top by 10. The Beavers started to chip away at the lead. First with a layup from Pogatchnik, which was followed by an Erin Barrette long ball to cut the lead to five at 64-59 with still 3:47 to play. Rachel Koenig corralled a rebound and lobbed a pass to Yoder which setup a three-point play. With Yoder making her seventh free throw of the night, the Beavers were within two at 66-64 with 1:30 to play. That was the closest the Beavers would get with SMSU making its free throws to hang on for the 69-64 victory. 
    
For the fourth time this season, Yoder finished above 20 points with 21 on the night for a game-high, after shooting 7-for-16 from the field and 7-for-10 from the free throw line. Pogatchnik ended the game with 13 points, nine coming in the second half. Hill was the final student-athlete in double-figures with 11 points. Majewski made three of the Beavers' four three-pointers to finish with nine points, Barrette made the other triple.
 
Koenig recorded a season-high of eight rebounds to lead the Beavers defensively. Yoder and Hill finished behind her with four as Yoder's all came in the first half. Swanson and Pogatchnik both grabbed three and Brooke Theis and Barrette snagged two. Bemidji State swatted four shots all from different student-athletes: Yoder, Pogatchnik, Hill and Theis. The numbers were fairly even across the board with Bemidji State holding the slight edge in points in the paint (40-34) and second-chance points (8-6).
 
The Beavers continue their homestand tomorrow (Saturday) as they host the University of Sioux Falls at 5:30 p.m. Sioux Falls is coming off a 98-74 victory over University of Minnesota, Crookston.
  
For more information on the Bemidji State women's basketball program, follow the Beavers on Twitter (@BSUBeavers), like them on Facebook (facebook.com/BSUBeavers) or sign up for the TXTUpdates from BSUBeavers.com text-messaging system through the "Multimedia" pull down menu on the main page of BSUBeavers.com. 
  
Located on the shore of Lake Bemidji, Bemidji State University sponsors 15 varsity athletic programs with NCAA Division I men's hockey membership in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association 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).