DULUTH, Minn. – The Bemidji State University Women's Basketball team fell in its final game of the 2022-23 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference season by a score of 84-62 to No. 11 the University of Minnesota, Duluth Saturday afternoon on the road. In her final game as a Beaver, Trinity Yoder led the team with 20 points and combined with Alyssa Hill for 39 total points in the season finale.
 
Bemidji State ends the season at 8-18 overall and 5-17 in the NSIC. BSU finished eighth in the NSIC North Division, and the Bulldogs finished first in the conference with a 23-4 overall record and 21-1 in the NSIC.
     
Despite facing the top-team in the conference, the Beavers put up a strong fight. BSU went on a quick five-point run to go up 7-2 in the first three minutes with all seven points coming from Sam Pogatchnik. Pogatchnik scored the first 11 Bemidji State points before Yoder scored her first basket with under two minutes left in the quarter. Hill went on a solo five-point run to push the Beavers' lead back out to five. Yoder knocked down a free throw for the final point of the quarter to give the Beavers a 19-16 advantage going into the second quarter.
 
Bemidji State was able to keep Minnesota Duluth at a five-point lead with help from a Yoder layup and Hill's second three of the game. Yoder gave the Beavers their largest lead of the game at seven, 32-25, near the midway point of the quarter after another two free throws made. That helped end a 7-0 run for the Beavers. It did not take long for UMD to catch up after putting together six unanswered points to come with in one. It was not until 23 seconds left in the half that Minnesota Duluth retook the lead with a Taya Hakamaki triple to end the half at 39-36 in favor of the Bulldogs.
 
The Bulldogs were able to create some separation in the third quarter, but it wasn't easy. Hill converted a three-point play just over a minute into the quarter to help pull the Beavers back to within four. That would be as close as Bemidji State could get the rest of the way. BSU wase held to 11 points in the third quarter with five coming from Hill, four from Yoder and two from Pogatchnik. Bemidji State shot 50% in the third quarter but were only able to get off 10 shots and had seven turnovers. The Beavers found a little more success in the final quarter with 15 points but were unable to match the Bulldogs' 25 points. After a strong showing from behind the arc in the previous game, the Beavers were unable to make a three-pointer in the second half Saturday. BSU did connect on four in the first half.
 
In Yoder's final game with Bemidji State, she dropped a team-high 20 points, her fourth game in a row tallying 20 or more points and her 22^nd time doing it in her career. Yoder finished her collegiate career with 1,510 points, fourth all-time in program history, along with holding the record for most free throws attempted and made in a career with the Beavers. Hill was second on the team with 19 points and ended her freshman season with 296 points, second only behind Yoder. Brook Olson scored a game-high 40 points for Minnesota Duluth.
 
The Beavers outrebounded the Bulldogs 29-26 with Yoder leading both teams with eighth, three coming on the offensive glass. Pogatchnik and Hill finished second for the Beavers with five. In every game this season BSU recorded a block and the streak continued with Rachel Koenig coming away with the Beavers' sole block. 
  
For more information on the Bemidji State Men'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). 

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