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Bagsby and Mack Garner Post-season Honors

 

 

Minot State's Lashay Bagsby has been named All-American as well as All-Conference and MaKenzie Mack has also be selected All-Conference.

Bagsby is a 6'1" senior post player that excelled at Minot State for two years after transferring there from a junior college.

Mack, a junior Scranton, North Dakota, broke into the starting line-up this year and had a great season.  The 5'11" forward will be counted on for senior leadership on and off the floor next year.

 

 

 

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Jimmies Hold Off Minot - Beavers Finish Season at 15-14

 

JAMESTOWN - Minot State University kept cutting into an early Jamestown College lead.

The Jimmies kept answering.

The Beavers cut JC's nine-point lead to one numerous times, but never took a lead in the second half as the Jimmies held off MSU 66-56 in the quarterfinals of the Dakota Athletic Conference women's basketball postseason tournament Sunday at the Jamestown Civic Center.

"We had a little momentum shift in the second half and got to within two and I thought there was a chance to get over the hump," MSU head coach Sheila Green Gerding said. "But credit their defense, we didn't get many open shots."

The No. 6 seeded Beavers finished the season at 15-14 overall, while the No. 24 ranked and No. 3 seeded Jimmies improved to 20-8 on the season.

While MSU had plenty of chances early, it was JC that opened a lead. The Jimmies took a 12-6 lead after nearly 10 minutes of play on a Mara Paulson basket.

"I thought both teams were a little more nervous, it's win and move on, or lose and go home and both teams were a little tight," JC head coach Mark Wiest said. "That and both teams played real good defense. Neither team lit it up and nobody had much rhythm."

"It was tough, No. 1 to get shots and No. 2 to get them to fall," Green Gerding said.

MSU cut the early lead to four at halftime behind the play of senior Holly Siverling and junior MacKenzie Mack. Mack finished with 10 points at the break and Siverling scored nine of her 14 points in the first half, giving MSU a physical presence in a very physical game.

"Holly had a nice all-around game. She is so hard to handle inside and is a physical presence in a physical game," Green Gerding said. "This was her type of game."

The Beavers kept chipping away in the second half as MSU turned its focus to senior Lashay Bagsby. Bagsby scored 19 of her 21 points in the second half and pulled down a game-high 14 rebounds.

"The guards did a good job of finding the posts and (Bagsby) finished," Green Gerding said.

But the Jimmies had an answer for everything MSU threw at them. Early it was Paulson, who hit three early baskets in the second half and added a pair of free throws. She gave her team a 41-34 lead on a short jumper with 12:28 to play.

"It was really important (to not give up the lead). We did a good job of maintaining it. Each run we answered with our own," Wiest said. "We have done that all year and have won these close games."

The Jimmies built the lead to 51-41 on an Amanda Rantapaa 3-pointer with 7:24 to go, but the Beavers got back into it cutting it to 56-54 with 1:42 to play. JC, however, got a pair of free throws by Heidi Fiechtner with 1:29 to go and the biggest basket of the game as Fiechtner pulled down an offensive rebound and putback on the Jimmies next possession for the 60-54 lead.

"Their defense was very good, but we got better as the game went on against it," Wiest said. "We attacked the basket and got to the free-throw line and that is a big part of our game - get to the paint, get to the line and made free throws."

MSU couldn't get closer than that as JC hit 9 of 10 free throws in the final 2:42 of the game and 22 of 24 overall.

Fiechtner led the way with 17 points and added seven rebounds for the Jimmies, who travel to Black Hills State for the semifinals Wednesday. Paulson added 12 points and Kellie Schuneman scored 15 for JC.

Along with Bagsby and Siverling, Mack finished with 12 points and Sam Medcalf added seven points, four assists and five rebounds for the Beavers.

 

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Bagsby helps MSU to Blow Out Win in Mayville

MAYVILLE - Minot State raced out to a 46-30 first-half lead and cruised to an 84-57 win over Mayville State in Dakota Athletic Conference women's basketball here Thursday.

The game was the regular season finale for both teams. MSU (6-8 DAC, 15-13 overall), the No. 6 seed in the DAC tournament will travel to No. 3 Jamestown College in the first round Sunday starting at 7:30 p.m. Mayville State (1-13, 3-23) is at top seed Dickinson State in the first round.

MSU raced out to an early lead behind solid shooting. The Beavers hit their first five shots in the game.

"Everything feels better when you start hitting your shots. We were 5 for 5 at the start," MSU head coach Sheila Green Gerding said. "I think missing shots is contagious as is hitting shots and we had three or four people hitting right away."

The Beavers had four players in double figures and all seven players who scored, netted at least six points. Lashay Bagsby led the team with 23 points, while McKenzie Mack added 17 points, and seven rebounds. Whitney Loftesnes scored 13 points hitting two 3-pointers and Caroline Folven chipped in with 11. To kickstart the offense, MSU moved the ball around, garnering 24 assists on 34 field goals as a team. Sam Medcalf dished out nine assists, while Dora Garza had five.

"We were moving the ball around unselfishly and passing up a shot to get a good shot," Green Gerding said.

The Comets hit just 29 percent from the floor and were 3 of 20 on 3-pointers. MSU gave up a total of 10 field goals in the first half and then held Mayville to just six in the second half.

"We had a great first half defensively and offensively. About the only way Mayville scored in the first was at the free-throw line," Green Gerding said. "We are pleased to get the win last night in a close game and then come out here with a lot of energy."

Ali Sonstelie scored 12 points and pulled down six rebounds for the Comets. Katelyn Peterson and Erin Ericson each scored 11 in the loss.

MSU shot 64.5 percent in the first half from the floor, including 6 of 9 3-pointers and finished the game hitting 56.7 percent overall. Along with the double figure scorers, Medcalf and Holly Siverling scored seven apiece and Garza added six.

 

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Beavers Win at Dakota State 65-59

MADISON, S.D. - Minot State University overcame 17 first-half turnovers and 12 Dakota State 3-pointers to earn its second straight Dakota Athletic Conference women's basketball win.

The Beavers rallied for 43 second-half points to take a 65-59 win over the Trojans here Wednesday.

"We couldn't handle their pressure at all in the first half," MSU head coach Sheila Green Gerding said. "We turned it over because we weren't sound with the basketball. We kind of crumbled under the pressure.

"In the second half, we regrouped. Looked to attack with penetration and did some nice things to clear out the back side for layups for (Lashay) Bagsby."

Bagsby responded with 23 points and 14 rebounds to pace the Beavers. She also had a key offensive rebound late in the game with Beavers clinging to a small lead.

"We really did a great job on the boards," Green Gerding said. "We had just five turnovers in the second half, took care of the basketball, got back in the game, took control of it and stayed in control of it."

MSU (5-8 DAC, 14-13 overall) held DaSU to just 32 percent shooting, but the 3-pointers were almost the equalizer. The Trojans (3-10, 8-19) were 12 of 40 from beyond the arc. Katie Bourk finished with six 3-pointers for a team-high 20 points, while Alyssa Kirk hit four 3s for 16 points.

The Beavers hit 41 percent from the floor. Along with Bagsby, MSU got 13 points and seven rebounds from MacKenzie Mack, eight points, six rebounds from Whitney Loftesnes and six points from Caroline Folven.

"Teamwise, we did a good job of getting the ball inside when we needed to," Green Gerding said. "We got contributions from several people. Mack had a pretty solid game for us. Folven gave us a spark in the second and scored like six straight."

MSU moves on for its regular season finale with a game at Mayville State tonight at 5:30 p.m.

"It's been a long time since we've won at Dakota State," Green Gerding said. "It's a big win from that perspective. It's a hard place to play, a long trip."

 

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Beavers Beat Valley City in OT

 

The Minot State University women's basketball team accomplished something it hasn't done in what probably feels like an eternity.

The Beavers rallied from a second half swoon.

MSU trailed No. 19 ranked Valley City State by 14 points midway through the second half, rallied and then held off the Vikings in overtime, winning 90-84 in Dakota Athletic Conference play Saturday at the MSU Dome.

"Everything felt different," MSU head coach Sheila Green Gerding said. "There was some excitement out there, some energy, and gosh, we had fun."

The Beavers looked to be out of synch as VCSU went on a 21-7 to start the second half. MSU, however, stormed back behind a renewed defensive effort and an unique combo on the floor. The Beavers used its "red" defense with a twist - a trap that Green Gerding attributed to assistant coach Gary Walhaug - and the group of MacKenzie Mack, Sam Medcalf, Dora Garza, Hatti Ternes and Holly Siverling.

"I think we found five people that had some rhythm and worked together and played unselfishly," Green Gerding said. "We got he ball where we needed it to go. We found (MacKenzie) Mack a couple of times. When we went off the run, she wanted the ball and sometimes we listen to the players and got it to her."

Mack blossomed in the combination as the junior scored many of her game-high 32 points in the final 10 minutes of regulation and overtime. She also finished with a team-high 10 rebounds, three assists, two blocks and two steals.

"It's been tough because we have been losing and we finally got this one," Mack said. We stuck together as a team. There were a lot of positives out there tonight. We just played well."

The Beavers (4-8 DAC, 13-13 overall) actually took a seven point lead on a 3-pointer by Ternes with 5:14 to play. VCSU didn't go away taking back the lead at 74-73 on a 3-pointers from Caitlyn Wojahn with 1:33 to go. The teams traded baskets until MSU took a two-point lead with a free throw by Lashay Bagsby with 10.8 seconds to play.

The Vikings' Brittany Olson, who had a team-high 21 points, forced overtime with a tough, off balance shot in the paint with 3.8 seconds to play.

"Coach just said stay positive and we are going to get this one," Mack said of the Beavers huddle before overtime. "We needed to just keep defending and move the ball. There wasn't a lot of plays or anything, just have fun and play as hard as we can in overtime."

MSU never trailed in overtime as Medcalf scored 24 seconds into the extra session. Mack scored at 3:39 and gave the Beavers a 84-78 lead after hitting four of six free throws during a 40 second span. She was 10 of 15 in the game and the Beavers were 20 of 28 in the second half and overtime.

"Down the stretch, we were where we needed to be," Green Gerding said. "I thought Mack and Holly were a tough match up for them."

Along with Olson, the Vikings (8-4, 16-10) got 20 from Amanda Brown and 12 from Abby Rittenhouse. Rittenhouse and Olson pulled down eight rebounds each.

Bagsby scored 11 of her 17 points in the first half to help MSU's cause. Medcalf added 12 points and six assists and Hatti Ternes finished with 10 points and four rebounds in one of her best games in a Beavers uniform.

"Hatti hit some shots and played pretty smart defensively," Green Gerding said. "And, she took care of the ball. Holly was a force in there, did a great job of keeping the ball out of the paint and was on the boards. Bottom line is we got some great contributions from our bench."

MSU finishes its DAC regular season on the road Wednesday and Thursday as they head to Dakota State and Mayville State.

 

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Beavers Can't Complete Comeback

The Beavers fell behind 21-6 over the first eight minutes of the game and did not look to be in the game.

MSU rallied to take a second half lead, but couldn't hold on as No 25 Jamestown College hit six 3-pointers in the second half en route to a 78-71 win in Dakota Athletic Conference women's basketball Wednesday at the Jamestown Civic Center.

"We worked hard and did some good things in our zone defense, but they hit some key 3s," MSU head coach Sheila Green Gerding said. "Give the credit. We did a lot of good things, but it was the little things that kill you."

The biggest thing for the Beavers was free throw shooting as the Beavers were just 13 of 21 in the second half.

"Free throws killed us - just like they did at home," Green Gerding said.

The Jimmies' (7-4 DAC, 17-7 overall) pressure defense rattled the Beavers early on as they took a 16-6 lead on a 3-pointer by Ali Edwards. The Beavers were stuck on six points for just under three minutes during a 14-2 JC run.

"I don't think we did anything special, but just played with a lot of energy the first 10 minutes," JC head coach Mark Wiest said. "We wanted to put a lot of pressure on them and turn it into a full court game. We hoped to wear them down and I thought we did that early. It looked like we had a step on them."

But the Beavers (3-8, 12-13) battled back behind the outstanding play of Sam Medcalf and steady work by Lashay Bagsby. Medcalf spent a stretch on the bench with two fouls, but came back to both score (10 in first half, 20 in the game), and also run the team.

"Sam had a great game. She looked to attack on offense," Green Gerding said. "She got some things going with the three and found some rhythm and did a good job of getting the ball to Lashay in transition."

MSU's biggest lead in the second half was eight on a 3-pointer by Medcalf with 14:04 and the Beavers still led by six at 48-42 on a three-point play by Bagsby with 12:08 to go, but JC started to hit 3s.

"We were a couple of baskets away from being out of it," Wiest said. "Give our kids credit. We knew they would make a run at us and they made a big one. But we found a way to win."

The Jimmies' Stacey Nygaard started things off with a 3-pointer to just the MSU lead to 48-45, Nichole Ahlers gave the Jimmies a 50-48 lead a minute after Nygaard and Mindy Clark capped things off with the dagger at 3:02 and a 66-59 lead.

"We got a little stagnant against the zone so we went four guards out," Wiest said. "It isn't something that we do a lot of but it worked. We hit some 3s and that opened some things up. Ahlers hit three big ones and Clark hit a big one. As soon as you do that it opened some things up."

While JC hit the majority of its 3-pointers in the second half, MSU struggled after Medcalf's 3 early in the second half. The Beavers finished just 4 of 15 and went 2 of 10 in the second half.

While MSU struggled on 3s, Green Gerding was happy with the team's overall offensive performance.

"We attacked most of the night on offense," she said. "We scratched and clawed during that run to get back into it.

"Bottom line is we had a couple of defensive assignments we didn't execute and that's the difference in the game."

Edwards led the Jimmies with 17 points and added six rebounds. She scored 10 of her points on 10 of 12 free throw shooting. Clark was the only other JC player in double figures with 10, but Mara Paulson, Heidi Fiechtner and Ahlers each scored nine.

Along with Medcalf's 20, Bagsby hit for a game-high 23 points and finished with eight rebounds. MacKenzie Mack added eight points and six rebounds for the Beavers. MSU plays its last DAC regular season home game Saturday as they play host to Valley City State.

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Mines Pulls Away from Minot

 

RAPID CITY, S.D. - For the third straight night, Minot State University played a strong first 10 minutes. For the third straight game, the Beavers have nothing to show for us.

MSU led 23-17 midway through the first half, only to have South Dakota Mines rally as the Beavers dropped its third-straight game, losing to the Hardrockers 74-68 in Dakota Athletic Conference women's basketball here Saturday.

"We had a really bad stretch in the second half where we didn't take care of the basketball and took some bad shots," MSU head coach Sheila Green Gerding said. "We were a step slow defensively."

The Hardrockers (5-6 DAC, 9-16 overall) had five players in double figures, but none scored more than 14. Jerika Ihnen paced Mines with 14, while Bethany Holyoak finished with 12 and Maria Luze, Jessica Tsignine and Leah Sundby all finished with 10 points.

"They got open looks and knocked them down," Green Gerding said.

The Beavers (3-7, 12-12) loss spoiled the career night for MSU freshman Caitlin Durkin. Durkin scored 17 points on 7 of 11 shooting and added three rebounds and three assists off the bench.

"Caitlin has been better and better every day in practice. She got a lot of time the past two games and took advantage of what we gave her," Green Gerding said. "She was aggressive on the offensive end."

MSU shot the ball well most of the night, hitting 26 of 51 for 51 percent, but took 12 fewer shots than Mines. The Hardrockers forced MSU into 23 turnovers, scoring 23 points of those miscues.

"The combinations we had at times weren't the best for us and we were forced into that because of foul trouble," Green Gerding said.

Ihnen and Tsignine finished with seven rebounds each, while Tsignine paced the Hardrockers with four assists.

Lashay Bagsby scored 15 points and Whitney Loftesnes added 13 for the Beavers. Bagsby also finished with six rebounds. MacKenzie Mack pulled down a game-high nine rebounds to go along with her eight points.

MSU finishes a four-game road swing at Jamestown College (5:30 p.m.) Wednesday.

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Beavers Buikd Up Early Lead but Can't Hold On

SPEARFISH, S.D. - Minot State University built an 11-point lead early in the first half, but No. 6 Black Hills State didn't go away.

The Yellow Jackets closed the first half on a 22-4 run to take a 30-23 lead at the break and did not look back, pulling away from the Beavers for a 63-45 Dakota Athletic Conference win here Friday.

"We couldn't score," MSU head coach Sheila Green Gerding said. "We missed easy shots and had too many crucial turnovers that turned into points for them."

MSU (3-6 DAC, 12-11 overall) opened with 19 points in the first six minutes, but a combination of solid BHSU defense and poor shooting did the Beavers in. MSU scored just 26 points over the final 34 minutes.

"We had good looks overall, we just didn't convert," Green Gerding said. "They always play tough defense, they are a great defensive team."

BHSU (8-2, 19-5) won its fourth straight game and its 13th in its past 15 games. The Yellow Jackets only shot 37.7 percent from the floor.

"We played solid defense the entire game," Green Gerding said. "We made them take tough shots."

The Beavers hit just 34.8 percent from the floor, going just 6 of 23 in the second half. That, coupled with 24 turnovers, helped the Beavers to it lowest point output of the season.

Piggy Pili led all scorers with 15 points for the Yellow Jackets. Kristi Ryan and Keely Krolikowski had nine points apiece.

Whitney Loftesnes scored 12 points and MacKenzie Mack added 10 to pace MSU. Mack also pulled down eight rebounds.

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Molina Signs with MSU

Click on the "RECRUITS" link on the top of this page to read all about it!

 

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Beavers Fall at UND

GRAND FORKS - Danye Guinn finished with a team-high 15 points and the University of North Dakota had six players finish in double figures scoring as it topped Minot State University 96-42 in a women's college basketball game Sunday at the Engelstad Sioux Center.

Dora Garza led Minot State with 10 points on 4 of 4 shooting while Lashay Bagsby added nine points for the Beavers, who were outscored 42-23 in the first half and 54-19 in the second half.

"It's a great opportunity for us to play in a great facility with a good crowd against a really good team," MSU head coach Sheila Green Gerding said. "I thought we competed really well for a half. They got us down and we got back to within 11 with two minutes to go in the half."

North Dakota (12-10) turned over the Beavers 29 times while committing just 12 turnovers and had 40 points off of turnovers.

Minot State made 13 of 45 field goals, including 4 of 12 shots from beyond the 3-point line.

"We got some good looks offensively, but just didn't finish very well," Green Gerding said.

The Beavers (12-10, 3-5 DAC) play at Black Hills State Friday and at South Dakota Mines Saturday

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Safranski Signs with Minot State

Click on the "RECRUITS" link on the top of this page to read all about it!

 

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Late bucket beats Beavers

 

The Dickinson State women's basketball team is doing what championship teams do.

On Wednesday night, the Blue Hawks fought through a difficult situation and won a big Dakota Athletic Conference game with clutch shots.

Kelly Pankratz's 5-foot jumper from the left baseline sat on the rim for a moment before rolling in with 2 seconds left, giving the 14th-ranked Blue Hawks a 61-59 victory over Minot State on Wednesday night at Scott Gymnasium.

"Great teams can battle through adversity like we did in the first half and come back and win games," DSU coach Guy Fridley said.

The Blue Hawks (16-5, 6-1 DAC) had quite a bit of hardship to battle through and not just in the game.

In the morning, junior center Kia Herbel the team's leading scorer and rebounder had a hypoglycemic episode that caused her to faint and hit her head on a cabinet in her apartment.

With Herbel fully recovered by game time, Fridley thought his team's troubles were over.

Then, the Beavers (12-10, 3-5 DAC) climbed to a 17-2 lead just 6:28 into the first half.

But, the Blue Hawks battled through their difficulties and found a way to hold onto first place in the DAC.

With Herbel stymied by the Beavers' interior defense, Pankratz and other players off the bench sparked DSU's comeback. The Blue Hawks clawed their way back by the 5-minute mark, when a shot in the post by Kia Herbel made it 21-17.

But, the Beavers kept DSU scoreless for the next four minutes and went into halftime leading 30-21.

"I thought we defended very well," Minot State coach Sheila Green Gerding said. "It seems like when we needed a bucket, we came up with one."

MacKenzie Mack had eight points and Lashay Bagsby had six during the run. Mack finished with 16 points. Bagsby had 12 points and eight rebounds.

"Mack plays her heart out every game," Green Gerding said. "She gives you everything she's got and never spots coming at you."

DSU had a similar philosophy in the second half.

Herbel scored DSU's first nine points after halftime and Kelsey Boedeker sank a 3-pointer from the right side a little more than 6 minutes into the half to give DSU its first lead, 38-37.

The sophomore guard scored 10 points in a 3:12 span to help the Blue Hawks regain the momentum in second half. She finished with 12 points, five rebounds and three assists.

DSU held onto small leads for much of the second half. But, back-to-back shots in the post by Mack and Bagsby put the Beavers up 59-57 with a minute left.

Herbel got a shot in the post with 50 seconds left to tie the game at 59. The 6-foot-2 post said better ball movement in the second half freed her up for easier baskets.

"I got some great passes from the guards," said Herbel, who finished with team highs of 16 points and eight rebounds. "Coach said we needed to penetrate me and that's what'll get us more touches inside."

After calling a time out 16 seconds left, Fridley drew up a play based on what defense Minot State showed. The play, intended to free up senior guard Ashley Emmons, didn't go exactly as planned and instead left Pankratz alone benenath the basket.

"I got really scared because Lashay Bagsby was right there," Pankratz said. "I saw Ashley was stuck, so I cut baseline. I saw an opening."

 

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Beavers Win Big Over Dakota State

Medcalf

Sam Medcalf did a little bit of everything.

Minot State's junior point guard from Andover, Minn., scored 16 points, pulled down 10 rebounds, dished out seven assists and finished with four steals. And, she drew three charges.

"There have been a couple games where I have fouled out lately and coach has been getting on me for that," Medcalf said. "So I wanted to go out and outwork (Dakota State's) guards. I had a little more focus."

Medcalf's play, along with the most complete half of basketball for the Beavers in the first, led to a 81-61 win over Dakota State in Dakota Athletic Conference women's basketball Saturday at the MSU Dome.

The win snapped a seven-game losing streak for the Beavers against the Trojans and gave MSU a modest two-game winning streak.

"I look at a couple things. We took care of the basketball, made shots so that makes everything look better and we were real sound on what we were doing on defense," MSU head coach Sheila Green Gerding said. "And we controlled the boards. We gave up some rebounds late, but with the three bigs in there, it seems like we are crashing the boards real hard."

The Beavers (3-4 DAC, 12-9 overall) played nearly a complete first half as they opened up a 20-8 lead on a hoop by Holly Siverling 7:28 into the first half. The Beavers extended it to 36-19 on a layup by Medcalf seven minutes later. MSU shot 53 percent from the floor, hit 11 of 13 free throws and pulled down nine offensive rebounds.

"It was pretty close," Green Gerding said when asked how close to perfect MSU was in the first.

The Trojans (2-5, 6-15) tried to extend their defense in a half-court trap, but the Beavers weren't bothered by the pressure.

"I don't know why they extended it as far out as they did, because the skip was open all night," Medcalf said. "We knocked down some shots and then went inside. We didn't want to move the ball around too fast so the post would get lost. They utilized the space and we got it down low."

"I am proud of our point guards because not one time did we turn the ball over in the way they set up that defense," Green Gerding added. "We must have set a record in throwing bounce passes. The light must have come on and we use it a lot."

Dakota State made one run in the second half whittle a 48-26 halftime lead down to 11 on a 3-pointer Katie Bourk. MSU, however, refocused on the inside play of Lashay Bagsby and the senior didn't disappoint. Bagsby, who scored a game-high 19 points, went on a personal 8-0 run to stretch the lead back to 20.

"Sam had a huge game and I though Shay had her best weekend," Green Gerding said. "Her athleticism really showed."

The Trojans were paced by three players with 12. Dana Tschakert, Alyssa Kirk and Megan Swecker all scored a dozen. Bourk had 11 points and finished with nine rebounds for DSU.

Along with Medcalf and Bagsby, MSU also had Caroline Folven (16) and MacKenzie Mack (10) in double figures and got nine points and four assists from Whitney Loftesnes.

"Last night was a little tough in the ending, but it was a win," Medcalf said. "I hope it snowballs from here."

MSU travels to rival and conference leader Dickinson State Wednesday for a 6:30 p.m. tip off.

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Bagsby Preserves Win Over Mayville

 

Whew.

That was the collective feeling as Minot State University's Lashay Bagsby stole the ball under the Mavyville State hoop with six seconds to play.

Bagsby found herself in the perfect position with the Beavers clinging to a 58-57 lead.

"Their player kind of went down on the baseline and stopped and she turned into me. The ball was there and I waited to see what she was going to do," Bagsby, a senior from Bakersfield, Calif, said. "When it was still there, I just grabbed it and went."

The steal and MSU's Caitlyn Durkin's clutch free throws with 2.9 seconds remaining preserved a 60-57 win for the Beavers snapping a three-game losing streak in Dakota Athletic Conference women's basketball Friday at the MSU Dome.

"That was a good defensive play," Minot State head coach Sheila Green Gerding said. "We took a chance and went with our "red" defense and I don't think they were ready for it."

Green Gerding and assistant coach Bill Triplett talked about the defensive switch from man during a timeout and decided to go with the zone.

"It took about 59 seconds of a minute timeout," Green Gerding joked. "Triplett had a good point, if it is a 2 or a 3, we loose. You worry about the 3 in red, but it doesn't matter, so we took the chance."

Bagsby was the key early for Minot as well as late as she scored her team's first 12 points. She finished with a game-high 20 points and hit her first 3-pointer of the season.

"Nothing special, just ready to go," Bagsby said of her start. "I was just open and threw it up there (on the 3-pointer). I shoot them in practice but don't in the game. I think I can now.

"After losing three in a row, this just feels so much better."

The Beavers (2-4 DAC, 11-8 overall) built a 52-39 lead on a 3-pointer by Caroline Folven and a hoop by Bagsby with 6:12 to play in the second half.

But Mayville (0-6, 2-16) hung around the entire game, making a push at the Beavers in the final six minutes. The Comets' Kelli Smart answered the Bagsby basket with a 3-pointer, sparking a 13-2 run over the next 4:23. When Comets' Ali Sonstelie scored with 1:49 to play it was 54-52.

"Mayville had done that all season," Green Gerding said. "They hang around, hang around and in the end, they are still there. I knew they wouldn't go away and would continue to play hard."

While Bagsby's steal finalized the win, it was Dora Garza's steal and free throws following the Sonstelie basket that maintained the Beavers cushion.

"Dora took the Jamestown (College loss) personally and I thought if she was in the situation again, she would come through for us because she is a tough player," Green Gerding said. "And Caitlyn hit some big free throws. Our freshmen played strong for us."

The Comets scrappy play throughout kept Minot off balance on the offensive end. While the Beavers were able to make multiple runs, they weren't able to put Mayville away.

Mayville was paced by Erin Erickson's 14 points as the freshman guard hit four 3-pointers. Sonstelie and Lindsay Sannes each scored 10 points for the Comets.

Along with Bagsby, Folven (14 points) and MacKenzie Mack (11) scored in double figures. Folven added six rebounds, while Garza dished out five assists.

MSU is back at the Dome tonight as they play host to Dakota State at 4 p.m.

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Vikings Shoot Down Beavers

 

VALLEY CITY - Minot State University couldn't buy a 3-pointer and couldn't stop Valley City State from making big ones.

The Beavers went 1-for-17 on 3s, while the Vikings knocked down 8 of 20, but it was key ones for VCSU that held off any comeback for MSU as Valley City took a Dakota Athletic Conference women's basketball game Sunday at the W.E. Osmon Fieldhouse.

"We didn't shoot the ball very well, defend or play very hard," MSU head coach Sheila Green Gerding said. "We had too many mental mistakes that cost us."

Emily Goedert knocked own two big 3s in the second half and Brittany Olson hit a key one as well to keep the Vikings (3-2 DAC, 11-8 overall) lead around 15 much of the second half.

The Beavers chipped away at the lead multiple times, getting it to eight a on a MacKenzie Mack steal and layup, to 10 on a rebound, putback by Caroline Folven with 5:14 to play, and to seven on a 12-footer by Mack with just under two minutes to play. But the Beavers never got it under seven in the second half.

"We saw some improvement in some areas. We just have to get better," Green Gerding said.

The Beavers now stand at 10-9 overall and 1-4 in the DAC.

VCSU had solid balance as all seven of the Vikings who scored hit for at least seven points and five VCSU players scored double figures. Olson paced the Vikings with 17 points, Caitlyn Wojahn and Amanda Brown scored 12 each and Andrea Hummel and Mandy Johnson scored 10 apiece.

Lashay Bagsby had a good second half, scoring 13 of her team-high 17 in the second. Folven finished with 16 points, while Mack had 10 points and 10 rebounds.

The Beavers are back at the MSU Dome for its last home Friday-Saturday DAC weekend as they play host to Mayville State Friday and Dakota State Saturday.

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Jimmies Rally Over MSU 70-67

Jamestown College’s Kellie Schneman and Minot State University’s Lashay Bagsby (right) and

Dora Garza (bottom) battle for a loose ball as the two teams played Thursday at the MSU Dome

Minot State University needed just a couple more baskets or a couple more defensive stops to upset No. 5 ranked Jamestown College.

Neither happened.

The Jimmies held MSU without a field goal over the final 5:53, outscored the Beavers 10-1 over the final 2:42 and forced seven straight MSU turnovers to end the game en route to a 70-67 win in Dakota Athletic Conference women's basketball Thursday at the MSU Dome.

"I was a little concerned, but looked up at the clock and there was a lot of time," JC head coach Mark Wiest said. "We had good possessions down the stretch. We weren't far away from it being out of reach, but I was pretty confident."

The Beavers took a 66-60 lead on two free throws by MacKenzie Mack with 3:11 to go, but mustered just one more point the rest of the way.

"We didn't handle the pressure at the end," MSU head coach Sheila Green Gerding said. "We didn't make the plays we needed to and they did on their end."

The Jimmies' final push was made behind stellar play by Ali Edwards. Edwards scored seven of her game-high 22 points over the final 1:40, all with four fouls. She hit a huge 3-pointer from the wing to tie the game at 67 and gave the game its final lead change with a short jumper with 25.4 seconds to play.

"Ali is such a good defender for us," Wiest said. "But what she did for us on the offensive end is what we feel she is capable of."

"The thing with Ali is she is such a smart player and knows enough about the game to keep herself in the game with fouls."

The game featured 18 lead changes and 11 ties, including 11 changes in the second half alone.

JC switched defenses all night and went to a full court press that seemed to rattle the Beavers. MSU had 20 turnovers compared to just seven by the Jimmies.

"They came out in the press and I don't know if that bothered us a little bit," Green Gerding said. "We haven't done the little things. I have been saying that all year."

"We played good defense and we are going to have to play that kind of defense the rest of the year," Wiest said. "I thought when (MSU point guard Sam) Medcalf fouled out we could rattle (Dora) Garza a bit. Our defense was solid."

The loss spoiled a great night for MSU's Whitney Loftesnes. Loftesnes scored a team-high 21 points, hitting all five of her 3-pointers and finishing 7 of 7 from the floor.

Neither team's offenses looked comfortable in the first half as the game was tied at 27. MSU was terrible from the free-throw line in the half, hitting just 1 for 8. MSU went just 11-for-21 from the line for the game.

"That was the story right there," Green Gerding said. "You have do things throughout the game to put yourself in position. If we make free throws, we are in a better position."

Along with Edwards, Mara Paulson and Alison Epping each scored 11 for the Jimmies (3-1 DAC, 13-4 overall).

MSU (1-3, 10-8) had four players in double figures as Caroline Folven (15), MacKenzie Mack (14) and Lashay Bagsby (10) joined Loftesnes. Bagsby added a game-high 13 rebounds for the Beavers.

The Beavers will try rebound against Valley City State Sunday in Valley City.

 

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Yellow Jackets Sting the Beavers

Black Hills State head women's basketball coach Mark Nore was a little surprised how his team shot the ball Saturday night.

After all, Nore and his No. 10 ranked Yellow Jackets have struggled at the Minot State University Dome in the past.

"I was really surprised. This is only the second time I have won here," Nore said. "It is probably the toughest place to play, so to get a win here is good."

But shooting was not an issue for BHSU as they hit 47.5 percent from the floor, including 17 of 33 in the first half, en route to an 88-71 Dakota Athletic Conference win over the Beavers Saturday.

"It never felt like a 20-point game," Nore said. They are so good here. I knew they would make a big run, but we countered and hit shots. You usually win when you hit shots."

When the Yellow Jackets (3-1 DAC, 14-4 overall) weren't making shots, they were grabbing offensive rebounds. BHSU finished with 16 for the game and had almost as many offensive boards (9) as MSU had total (10) in the first half.

"It was the little things like not boxing out and keeping them off the boards," MSU head coach Sheila Green Gerding said. "We didn't create our own breaks. They played real well and shot teh ball well from the floor, but we kind of match their shooting. It was the little things like turnovers and not hitting free throws."

The rebounding, along with MSU's problems with the Yellow Jackets' pressure defense, created a nightmare scenario for the Beavers (1-2, 10-7).

"We couldn't get a comeback going against them. Give them credit, they answered the runs we make at them," Green Gerding said.

The game was back and forth until the Yellow Jackets blew open the game. After a media timeout midway through the first half, BHSU turned a two-point lead into a 49-28 bulge with 58.3 seconds to play. The run was capped by a 3-pointer by Keely Krowlikowski, one of her three triples and 17 points.

"It was a little bit of both, we got extended it out and played a little harder," Nore said. "I think we got them on their heals a little bit. Their shooters hit some shots early, but we did a better job of closing out on their shooters."

MSU tried to mount a comeback as MacKenzie Mack and Lashay Bagsby hit baskets and Whitney Loftesnes a 3-pointer, but BHSU's Brittany Fuhrman hit a 3-pointer after Bagsby's hoop and another after Loftesnes' to keep the Beavers at bay. Fuhrman led all scorers with 20 points.

Bagsby, who was hampered by foul trouble much of the way, and Loftesnes each scored 16 for the Beavers. Holly Siverling finished with 15 points, eight rebounds and four assists off the bench for a solid overall weekend.

"Holly had a good weekend for us," Green Gerding said. "I thought she did a good job tonight.

"We just made too many mistakes, the silly travels and you can't do that, especially in league against good teams. We stressed it (taking care of the ball) and it was just a lack of concentration. There is no excuse for it."

MSU plays host to Jamestown College Thursday at the Dome starting at 5:30 p.m.

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Minot Bombs Tech After Slow Start

 

Bagsby pulls down a rebound Friday night vs. South Dakota Tech

 

It was not coincidence that Minot State University's best offensive stretch came when they knocked down 3s.

The Beavers hit four in a row during a 13-0 stretch that turned an otherwise tight game into a MSU cushion.

The run was more than South Dakota Mines could recover from as the Beavers ran away with a 75-61 Dakota Athletic Conference women's basketball win Friday at the MSU Dome.

"They gave us everything we could handle and almost more than we can handle," MSU head coach Sheila Green Gerding said. "For us to stick together and grind it out and have the explosion at the end, it was a great win."

The Beavers (1-1 DAC, 10-6 overall) earned their first win in the DAC, while Mines (2-1, 6-11) fell to 2-1 in conference play.

The run was started by MSU's Sam Medcalf's 3-pointer from the wing with 6:05 to play, cutting the Mines lead to 53-52. Thirty second later, Medcalf found Whitney Loftesnes for a 3 to give the Beavers a 55-53 lead. The same combination hooked up again for a 58-53 lead and, after a MacKenzie Mack free throw, Caroline Folven capped it with another from the top of the key - on yet another feed from Medcalf - with 3:13 to go.

"It was an attitude thing," Green Gerding said. "Sam missed a couple of easy ones and we talked about playing with some confidence, getting that swagger back that she has. She wanted the ball and hit the first one. It was nice to get some things rolling."

Folven was the key offensively for the Beavers much of the night. She finished with a game-high 21 points and added nine rebounds.

"Actually it was kind of funny. In warmups, it was frustrating," she said. "But once the game got going, I got on a little role. It started to come a little easier after that."

Mines had things in control early as they opened a 24-12 lead on a 3-pointer from Ariel Granillo with 5:21 to play in the first. Mines held the Beavers to just five field goals over the opening 15 minutes. But the Beavers rallied over the final five. MSU went on a 20-8 run to end the half, started by post Holly Siverling's free throw and capped by a Medcalf lay up.

"We made some adjustments and they started to fall," Folven said. "It makes us that much harder to guard. These games in January and February are huge and we are working hard at getting after it."

Neither team shot the ball extremely well in the game as both teams finished at 33.8 percent from the floor. MSU hit just 9 of 30 field goals in the first half and Mines was held to 10 of 35 in the second half.

"We didn't play a very good 15 minutes, but the last five minutes, we were awesome," Green Gerding said. "To come back down by that much and tie it at half, that was a key stretch. We came out flat, but had a burst of energy."

Mines Loryn Schuetzle held the Hardrockers with 15 points and three assists, but was held to just three in the second half. Bethany Holyoak and Jessica Tsignine each scored 12 for Mines, with Holyoak adding 10 rebounds. Jerika Ihnen had a game-high 13 rebounds for the Hardrockers.

"We were in man-to-man, it was a matter of recognizing who she (Schuetzle) was and getting up on her," Green Gerding said.

Along with Folven, MSU had three others in double figures. Lashay Bagsby scored 14 points and pulled down 12 rebounds, while Medcalf and Loftesnes each scored 10. Medcalf added seven assists and Loftesnes six as MSU had 17 assists as a team.

The Beavers play host to Black Hills State tonight (4 p.m.) in the middle of a three-game home stand.

 

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Beavers Blow by Clippers

 

       Rokki Parker and Holly Siverling go up for a rebound Monday vs Briercrest

With 99 points and nine players scoring eight or more individually, it would be easy for the Minot State University women's basketball team to only think of the offensive end.

But the Beavers defense was as good as can be.

MSU held Briercrest College (Sask.) to just nine field goals and 16.7 percent shooting as the Beavers cruised to a 99-31 nonconference NAIA women's basketball win Monday at the MSU Dome.

The Beavers (9-6 overall) gave up just 12 points in the second half, holding the Clippers to three field goals total in the second.

"We have been going hard at each other and playing hard in practice and that carried over," MSU freshman guard Dora Garza said. "We got after it on defense. We wanted a steal on every possesion."

MSU nearly forced a turnover every other possession. The Beavers caused 34 turnovers in the game, while Briercrest took just 54 shots.

"I didn't think we got sloppy either," MSU head coach Sheila Green Gerding said. "We have really carried our intensity over from the St. Cloud (State) game. We have had good practices and have been working hard at taking care of the ball - coming to meet passes and some of those things. We could have got sloppy, but played within ourselves."

Turnovers have been a sore subject for Green Gerding and MSU, but the Beavers finished with just 13 turnovers compared to 26 assists and 16 steals.

"We took better care of the basketball, which is something we have been trying to do," Green Gerding said.

The game was never really in doubt. After the Clippers took a 4-3 early lead, MSU went on a decisive run. The Beavers took an 18-6 lead on a 3-pointer from Hatti Ternes from the right corner on a feed from Holly Siverling with 12:25 remaining. Whitney Loftesnes' 3 with 8:33 to play in the first stretched the lead to 29-12 and by the time Lashay Bagsby hit a rebound putback with 17:10 to play in the second making it 59-19, the game was a blowout.

"We got good production from a lot of people and played hard," Green Gerding said. "It was a good game for Dora and Caitlin (Durkin). We need them to come around and have good games for us. It was also good for, obviously Shay (Bagsby) played well, but also Caroline (Folven) had a great second half. Rokki Parker also had a good game for us as she was one of our leading rebounders."

MSU had solid balance as four scored in double figures and all 10 players scored at least five. Bagsby finished with a game-high 18, Folven had 16 points and 15 rebounds, Garza and Durkin added 10 each, Ternes nine, MacKenzie Mack, Siverling and Loftesnes' eight each, Sam Medcalf seven and Parker five. Parker had 11 rebounds and four assists for the Beavers.

"We are starting to get in sync," Garza said. "I feel I am starting to feel better, too. It was a good win to get us ready for conference."

Briercrest was paced by Morgan Sawatzky's 13 points. Amara MacCormack added seven points and three rebounds.

Minot State didn't shoot a great percentage from the floor as they hit 41.6 percent and only 25.5 percent on 3-pointers but more than made up for it with 27 offensive rebounds. Folven had nine offensive boards, while Parker added four. In all, MSU held a 64-40 rebounding advantage.

The Beavers move into the bulk of their Dakota Athletic Conference schedule as they play host to South Dakota Mines Friday (5:30 p.m.) and No. 10 Black Hills State Saturday (4 p.m.) at the Dome.

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MSU Loses Exhitbition at St. Cloud 72-61

 

       Siverling Gives Beavers Big Lift in Exhibiution at St Cloud

 

 

Without Katie Tacheny, it might have been a rough one for the St. Cloud State women’s basketball team Tuesday.

After a strong first half behind Tacheny’s 20 points, the Huskies struggled in the second against NAIA opponent Minot State at Halenbeck Hall. The Beavers showed lots of hustle and heart and just wouldn't go away when St. Cloud built up leads. 

Nevertheless, Tacheny finished with a career-best 29 points and set a school record with 10 steals for her first career double-double as the Huskies held off the upstart Beavers 72-61.

Minot State outscored the Huskies 35-27 in the second half after trailing 45-26 at halftime. St. Cloud State hadn’t played since Dec. 22 against Dakota State.

“We played really well in the first half, and for whatever reason, we just struggled in the second,” Tacheny said. “We haven’t played in eight days and it’s always tough coming back from that. But this is a good game to get under our belts. A win’s a win and we’ll take it.”

Tacheny, who was sporting a red scratch on her nose from the game and a black eye that she suffered in practice a few days earlier, came out firing in the first half. She hit three shots from beyond the arc and was active on the perimeter on the defensive end.

“Minot was doubling our posts and I was just getting kickouts,” Tacheny said of her hot start. “When you’re open, you have to take the shot. Whoever is feeling it on a certain night, we have to give the ball to them. Anybody can step up on any given night on this team because we’re so balanced.”

It was Tacheny’s defense that might have stood out the most as she had six points off steals in transition.

“Katie carried us all night,” St. Cloud State head coach Lori Fish said. “We have to have more people step up so that doesn’t happen. Thank God for Katie tonight. I thought she did a great job and played with a lot of confidence. She kept us in it.”

The Huskies suffered a scare with 14:02 to go in the second half when sophomore center Rachel Booth went down hard following a collision on the baseline with the Beavers’ Holly Siverling. Booth suffered a sprained right ankle and didn’t return to the game.

Booth was on crutches afterward and said she’ll begin treatment on the ankle right away. Fish said it was too early to tell whether Booth would miss Saturday’s game against Concordia-St. Paul.

MINOT STATE (61)

MacKenzie Mack 5-11 1-3 11 (7 rebounds), Holly Siverling 5-10 2-2 12, Sam Medcalf 0-6 2-2 2 (5 assists, 3 steals), Whitney Loftesnes 6-11 1-1 17, Hatti Ternes 4-6 1-2 11, Dora Garza 0-0 0-0 0, Caitlin Durkin 0-0 0-0 0, Caroline Folven 2-4 1-2 6, Lashay Bagsby 1-2 0-0 (6 rebounds). Totals: FG 23-50, FT 8-12, REB 32, TO 31, PF 16.

ST. CLOUD STATE (72)

Talisha Barlow 5-8 2-2 12 (9 rebounds, 3 steals), Danielle Ellison 3-7 1-1 7, Rachel Booth 6-7 2-2 14, Katie Tacheny 10-17 6-7 29 (10 steals, 4 assists), Krystal Scott 2-6 0-0 4, Marlayna Graff 0-4 0-0 0, Anna Cashman 0-5 2-2 2, Aaryn Booker 0-4 4-4 4. Totals: FG 26-58, FT 17-18, REB 30, TO 18, PF 18.

Three-point goals: MS — 7-13 (Loftesnes 4-7, Medcalf 0-2, Ternes 2-3, Folven 1-1); SC — 3-14 (Barlow 0-2, Ellison 0-1, Tacheny 3-7, Cashman 0-4). Fouled out: none; Technical fouls: none; Points in the paint: SC — 38; MS — 30; Points off turnovers: SC — 35; MS — 11; Second-chance points: MS — 12; SC — 8; Fastbreak points: SC — 12; MS — 0; Bench points: MS — 8; SC — 6.

 

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Waldorf Edges Minot in Hawaii

Mack dumps in 16 in losing effort

TheWaldorf Warriors defeated the Minot State Beavers 67-61 on Saturday in a game that was tied at halftime.  Both teams came out of the locker rooms fighting for control in the second half, but it was Waldorf who would come out on top as they took the lead and never looked back with just over fourteen minutes left.

Waldorf was led by Megan Forster who shot 9-17 for 21 total points. Forster also pulled in nine rebounds, one steal and had two assists. Sarah Swanson followed closely shooting 6-11 for 20 total points as well as grabbing eight rebounds, two steals, and one assist. Rachel Hannam led in steals with five as well as shooting 7-13 for 14 total points and four rebounds. Ali March led the team in rebounds with 12 as Kate Milbrandt led the team in assists with four.

Minot State was led by Mackenzie Mack who shot 7-11 for 16 total points, nine rebounds, and five assists and Lashay Bagsby who shot 6-13 for 16 total points, seven rebounds and two steals.

"I really thought this was a game that we should have won", stated Coach Gerding of Minot State.  "We need to learn to bring it every night, every minute, every posession and right now we're not doing that.  We're kind of a Dr. Jeckyl and Mr. Hide team and with only two games left till our conference games get back underway, we need to figure that out"!

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Beavers Get Win Over Rio Grande in Hawaii

      Mack knocks down a 3-ball for the Beavers in win over Rio Grande

HONOLULU, Hawaii - Minot State University held Rio Grande (Ohio) to just 22 second-half points as the Beavers rallied from a four-point deficit at the half to win 58-55 at the Hoop n' Surf Tournament in NAIA women's basketball Friday in Honolulu, Hawii.

The Beavers (7-5 overall) held Rio Grande (7-4 overall) to just nine field goals in the second half and gave up just 1 of 12 shooting on 3-pointers to overcome the deficit. MSU, while not shooting the ball particularily well all night, hit 3 of 9 3s in the second.

The biggest 3-point weapon was guard Sam Medcalf, who nailed 2 of 3 from beyond the arc to pace the Beavers with 14 points. Lashay Bagsby added 12 points and three steals and McKenzie Mack pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds to go with nine points. Holly Siverling came off the bench to scored seven points, grab eight rebounds and dish out three assists.

Rio Grande was led in scoring by Sarah Drabinski's 14 points, while Erin Kume had 10 rebounds and eight points.

 

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Erickson Signs with Minot State

Click on the "RECRUITS" link on the top of this page to read all about it!

 

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Beavers Get Win over Montana-Western

 

It has become like a broken record for Minot State University's women's basketball team.

When the Beavers shoot the ball well from the perimeter, they are a much different team.

In Saturday's game against Montana-Western, the Beavers both used the 3-pointer and played off the outside shot to hold off the Bulldogs 81-66 in NAIA women's basketball at the MSU Dome.

"We were a little more aggressive on the perimeter and didn't just rely on the posts," MSU guard Whitney Loftesnes said. "It gets the adrenaline going."

Loftesnes was a big reason for the improved perimeter shooting as she knocked down four 3-pointers and created off the dribble to help feed Lashay Bagsby. Loftesnes scored 15 points and Bagsby finished with 22 points on 9 of 11 shooting.

"We passed up the rushed shot to get the better shot," MSU head coach Sheila Green Gerding said. "We hit some shots inside and outside. It makes everything feel better and look better. You think your execution is great when you hit some."

The Beavers led by 14 at the break and had to weather multiple runs by the Bulldogs. Western closed within 54-49 with 8:45 to play on a basket by Alysa Brown.

"We knew they would come at us in the second," Loftesnes said. "We were trying to get a couple runs going."

MSU did with Bagsby at the center of it. She hit a basket 13 seconds after the Brown bucket and then fed Loftesnes on the baseline for the 3-pointer, jumping the lead back to 10 at 59-49.

"You have to give (Western) credit because they changed up some things and got back into it," Green Gerding said. "We kind of lost our focus on the offensive end for a bit, but defensively we played well."

MSU held Western to just 35.5 percent shooting in the second half and only 3 of 15 shooting on 3-pointers. The Beavers, on the other hand, shot 60.9 from the floor, knocking down 53 percent on 3s. MSU was 6 of 9 in the first half from beyond the arc.

"We have been working on our defense and tried to not give them much momentum," Loftesnes said.

"This whole weekend we worked on switching things up on defense," Green Gerding said. "Our man has been solid but it is nice to throw some of the zone in there."

MSU (7-5 overall) had another solid night in scoring balance as four players reached double figures. Along with Bagsby and Loftesnes, Mack added 15 points and seven rebounds while being limited in the second half due to foul trouble. Sam Medcalf capped a solid weekend as she scored 13 oints and dished out six assists.

Western (4-6 overall) was led by Chloe Mosey and Jamie Lake who scored 15 apiece. Brown added 14 points and Genna Rucker scored 12 for the Bulldogs.

MSU is next in action at the Hoop-n-Surf tournament in Honolulu, Hawaii Friday and Saturday. The Beavers take on Rio Grande Friday and Waldorf College Saturday.

 

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MSU Beats Montana State-Northern

Folven gets to the rim Friday vs. MSU-N

Minot State University's Caroline Folven gets around the defense of Montana State-Northern's Zivile Gaizutyte during the first half of an NAIA women's basketball game at the Minot State Classic Friday at the MSU Dome.


For a stretch of four minutes in the second half, the Minot State University women's basketball team looked very good.

The reason?

The Beavers hit some perimeter shots.

To be more specific, MSU's Sam Medcalf and Hatti Ternes were 4 of 4 on 3-pointers during a 12-2 run that in all was a 15-2 game-changing run as MSU pulled away from Montana State-Northern in NAIA women's college basketball at the Minot State Classic Friday at the MSU Dome.

"We just didn't rely solely on the inside game, we hit some shots on the perimeter," MSU head coach Sheila Green Gerding said. "It wasn't just one thing. It was a plethora of things - several areas at different times."

The game was back and forth until the key run late in the second half. MSU took a 46-42 lead on a three-point play by MacKenzie Mack with 7:36 to play. Medcalf hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key after a solid pick by Lashay Bagsby freed her up beating the shot clock on the Beavers next possession. Medcalf hit her second 3 on a similar play a minute later and Ternes nailed back-to-back 3s from the wing on feeds from Caroline Folven and Bagsby to give the Beavers a commanding 58-44 lead.

"We usually look for the roll or the girl in the corner," Medcalf said of the pick play. "I shot it and it went in and it felt good to hit one. I thought it was going in right away, but I thought coach would ream me because she doesn't like that shot."

Medcalf was solid in the second half after picking up her third foul. She played the rest of the contest with three, scoring eight points, dishing out seven assists, pulling down four rebounds and swiping two steals.

"Hitting shots takes pressure off the posts and it feels pretty good to get some to fall," she said. "It had been a little frustrating. We have relied on the posts too much."

Ternes scored nine points on 3 of 3 shooting from beyond the arc. The Beavers had great balance as Mack led the team with 12 points, Bagsby added 11, Whitney Loftesnes, Holly Siverling and Folven each had eight.

"We had hardly anybody in double figures, eight, eight, eight and nine, that's great," Green Gerding said. "We did a good job of not posting (Stacie) Barker. She is a good shot blocker and Shay did a good job of passing off to the other posts. And, when Holly was in there, she did a good job of taking it right at her."

The Skylights took an early lead but couldn't pull away from Minot early as the Beavers defense held Northern off balance. MSU-N shot 46 percent in the first half, but only led 28-26 at half.

"We were changing it up on defense to keep them off rhythm," Green Gerding said.

Barker scored 15 points for Northern (3-7 overall).

Mack and Bagsby had eight rebounds each to pace the Beavers (6-5 overall). MSU avenged an earlier 80-57 loss to Northern in Havre, Mont.

The Skylights play Jamestown College today at noon and MSU takes on Montana-Western at 2 p.m.

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Minot State Hammers Brandon 97-51

 

MSU's Caitlin Durkin recovers the loose ball vs. Brandon

What a difference making a couple perimeter shots can make.

MSU hit five 3-pointers in the first half and seven overall in a 97-51 win over Brandon (Man.) University in nonconference NAIA basketball Monday at the MSU Dome.

The Beavers snapped a three game losing streak and scored more points in the first 25 minutes than they did in the entire game Saturday against Dickinson State.

"It was nice to see some people come out and hit some shots," MSU head coach Sheila Green Gerding said. "The inside game was good again. Thought we fired nearly on all cylinders.

"We played pretty loose and played even harder (than Saturday) at certain positions. We know we are going to be there at the end. We didn't solve all our problems, but we are getting better little by little."

MSU opened with a different lineup than much of the first half of the preseason, going with a big post trio of Lashay Bagsby, MacKenzie Mack and Caroline Folven. The combination worked as MSU jumped out to a 34-11 lead 13 minutes in.

"We were just trying it out. It was interesting," Folven said. "We are trying to find something that works. We had some difficulties last week. I like it (the lineup change). It was fun to be on the court with Mack because she is such a great player."

Add in reserve post Holly Siverling and the Beavers got what they have come to expect from their big players. Folven finished with 16 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals, while Bagsby led the Beavers with 17 and Siverling added 14 points and six rebounds.

"Give those guys credit - all five of them. Add Rokki (Paker) in there she is a good player but isn't going to get a lot of time because she has great players in front of her," Green Gerding said.

Mack finished with eight rebounds, seven points and five assists in her new role as a small forward.

"She didn't get a lot of looks in the second half or she would have another double double," Green Gerding said.

Green Gerding was also happy with her team's production from the bench in terms of both points and quality minutes. Every MSU player scored and along with Siverling, Rokki Parker chipped in with eight points and five rebounds, Hatti Ternes found her range with 3 of 4 3-pointers for nine points and Caitlin Durkin added six points. In all, MSU's bench scored 47 points, pulled down 26 rebounds and handed out 12 of the team's 23 assists.

"I think we needed a game like this," Folven said. "The shots just weren't falling, but we came in here and there wasn't a lot of stress or pressure. I think this is as good of a time as any to get going."

The Bobcats were paced by Melanie Thompson's 17 points, while Meghan Allison added 10 points and five rebounds.

MSU plays host to the Minot State Classic Friday and Saturday, taking on Montana State-Northern Friday at 7 p.m. Jamestown College and Montana-Western kick things off at 5 p.m. at the Dome.

 

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Blue Hawks End Beavers’ Streak

Dickinson State holds off MSU to end 9-game losing streak

MacKenzie Mack goes up for two of her 17 points

Minot State University women's basketball coach Sheila Green Gerding said during the week that her team couldn't control the ball going in the basket.

She was probably more prophetic than she had hoped.

The No. 9 ranked Beavers never shot well enough to win the game as a combination of Dickinson State defense, missed shots and poor MSU decisions led to a 70-63 Blue Hawks win in NAIA women's basketball Saturday at the MSU Dome.

The win for DSU snapped a 9-game MSU winning streak in the Dakota Athletic Conference opener for both teams. The loss also sent the Beavers to its third straight loss.

"I think that was the best defensive effort we have had all year," DSU head coach Guy Fridley said. "We talked all week that on that end will win the game. We denied the wings and tried to put pressure on the ball. It is tough for them to get it to the area that they are tough (post players) when you pressure the ball."

MSU (4-5 overall, 0-1 DAC) almost had enough offense as both team's defensive efforts stymied most of offensive output in the game. MSU shot 43.1 percent from the floor, 21.1 on 3-pointers and just 9 of 19 at the free-throw line. DSU (7-3 overall, 1-0 DAC) didn't fare much better from the floor (43.4 percent) and on 3-pointers (14.3 percent), but went 22 for 26 on free throws.

"Lack of shooting and poor decisions, those are the two areas we are struggling with right now," Green Gerding said. "We defended very well and played hard. The post gave us everything they could give us, we just didn't get it done on the perimeter."

While neither team had a lead more than five most of the way, the game remained very close until late. MSU took a late one-point lead on a Lashay Bagsby basket with 9:21 to play in the second half. But DSU countered with a Kelsey Boedeker hoop 10 seconds later. DSU never trailed again.

"It all comes down to a defensive effort. I don't want to be redundant, but the defense eliminated the big run," Fridley said. "To hold an explosive team like Minot to 63 is big for our kids. We kind of ground it out on defense."

MSU couldn't get a solid run going to take advantage of solid defense. While poor shooting was part of the problem, poor decisions were the other. MSU had 23 turnovers and a good portion of those came in key situations.

"We are not going to win with those kind of mental mistakes. We had too many times where we had unforced errors," Green Gerding said. "You will probably see a different lineup on Monday. We need to see who is going to come to play."

MSU did a solid job on the conference's top scorer Kia Herbel as she was limited to 13 points and seven rebounds. Boedeker (13 points), Ashley Emmons (12 points) and, mostly in the first half, Staci Moore (seven points) gave her solid help.

"We work everything around Kia and the girls know that. But Minot did a good job of keeping it out of her hands," Fridley said. "Kelsey and Staci in the first half, did a nice job off the bench. We are capable of doing great things even when Kia isn't scoring."

MSU was again carried by its post players as MSU's Lashay Bagsby, MacKenzie Mack, Holly Siverling and Caroline Folven combined for 45 points, 21 rebounds. Bagsby led the way with a game-high 22 points, while Mack ended with 17 points, 11 rebounds and four steals.

The Beavers won't play a DAC game until after the New Year, but are back at the Dome Monday as they play host to Brandon (Man.) University at 6 p.m. at the Dome.

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Larson Signs with Minot State

Click on the "RECRUITS" link on the top of this page to read all about it!

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MSU Loses Home Opener in Overtime

Bagsby scores 30 for the Beavers

Rocky Mountain outscores MSU 16-7 in overtime to upend Beavers 85-76. Last weekend, the two teams played 40 minutes and the Beavers won by just a single point.  This time, after 40 minutes, the two teams were tied!

Minot State University and Rocky Mountain College played much of the same formula throughout their nonconference NAIA women's basketball game Monday night.

The Bears would open a small five-to-seven point lead and the Beavers would chop it back to a one-possession game.

There were only a couple of small hiccups to the formula, the last sending the game to overtime.

But RMC used that same blueprint in overtime and Minot State didn't have another answer as the Bears outscored MSU 16-7 in the extra session to take the game 85-76 at the MSU Dome.

"It was kind of whoever had the mini run had the advantage," RMC head coach Brian Henderson said. "Nobody was clearly in control of it. That is how it has gone with us and Minot.

"I thought we handled it (overtime) real well. We are feeling pretty good about ourselves right now, playing with a lot of confidence and a lot of maturity."

The win avenged a buzzer-beating win for MSU over RMC a little over a week ago in Billings, Mont., and spoiled the Beavers' home opener after a month on the road.

"I didn't think we made real great decisions in the first half," MSU head coach Sheila Green Gerding said. "We looked a little rusty and not in sync in the first half. Part of that was them defensively, but we kind of shot ourselves in the foot several times and forced ourselves to the in the position we were in at half."

Rocky opened a 12-4 lead on a three-point play by Lisa Schoer to give the Bears its biggest lead of the game until late in overtime. MSU cut back into the lead as Lashay Bagsby hit one of two free throws to cut it to 12-11 and the recipe for the rest of the contest was on. Bagsby had a game-high 30 for the Beavers and battled RMC's Janie Rayback, who finished with 26 to lead the Bears, all night.

"It was a classic battle underneath," Henderson said. "We did a good job inside but they did a good job too. Bagsby is real good and I thought Janie did a good job too."

The Beavers were down 38-31 at halftime, but battled back to earn their first lead since early on, 43-42, on a basket by Holly Siverling with 15:14 to play in the second half. MSU didn't lead again in regulation, but tied it a couple of times, the last on a MacKenzie Mack left-handed runner in the paint with 11.7 second to play to force overtime, tied at 69.

"I thought we played better in the second half, executed pretty well in the things we wanted to do, thought we defended fairly well and did a better job of keeping them off the boards," Green Gerding said. "But it is hard to fight back, claw and dig and give that kind of effort and then hold on in overtime. We kind of shut down in the overtime."

The Beavers took their last lead of the night, 72-71, on a Bagsby free throw with 3:30 to play in overtime. But the Bears answered back with a 3-pointer from the wing by Jennifer Orchard. Orchard, a reserve, scored 21 points on 5 of 7 shooting on 3-pointers, added six rebounds and was a general thorn in MSU's side all night, hitting key 3s throughout the second half and overtime.

"She hasn't been getting a lot of minutes, but she came in and hit some big shots," Henderson said. "I thought our bench overall did a good job for us."

"We couldn't get over the hump all night," Green Gerding said. "It seemed like we would either shoot ourselves in the foot or they would make a big play and, all of a sudden, they had the lead back."

The Bears were 8 of 19 from beyond the arc, while MSU struggled to 5 of 27 shooting on 3s. The Beavers were just 2 of 15 in the first half.

"We had good play from our posts, but didn't get a whole lot when they countered that," Green Gerding said. "We didn't shoot very well in the first half - 2 of 15 from the 3-point line - that wasn't very good. Our shot selection was not good. We were taking off balance shots and shooting in a hurry."

Dani Henderson, who played for Minot State assistant coach Bill Triplett at Reed Point High School in Montana, had a game-high 12 rebounds to go along with 14 points and four steals for the Bears (4-6 overall).

MSU's Whitney Loftesnes hit all five 3s for the Beavers (4-4 overall) on her way to 15 points and five rebounds. Mack finished with 14 points, nine rebounds, four assists and four steals and Siverling added 10 points and five boards.

MSU begins its Dakota Athletic Conference season playing host to Dickinson State Saturday at the Dome. Game time is set for 4 p.m.

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Carroll Women top No. 13 Minot State 71-60

     Mack and Folven combined for 40 points for MSU but it wasn't enough to get the win

Building on momentum gained after Saturday night’s win over South Dakota Tech, the Carroll College women’s basketball team won their second in a row, downing No. 13 Minot State 71-60 Sunday afternoon in Billings.

The loss drops nationally-ranked Minot State, a team that made it to the Elite Eight of last year’s NAIA division II national tournament, to 4-3 on the year. The Lady Beavers played their 3rd straight game without their returning all-conference center, Lashay Bagsby.  Bagsby isexpected to be back from injury next Monday, December 1st when the Beavers host Rocky Mountain in Minot at 7:00 pm.  Carroll improved to 6-4 before heading into the Thanksgiving break.

“This was a big confidence builder before the holiday,” Saints head coach Shawn Nelson said.

The Saints got a chance to watch Minot beat Rocky Mountain on a last second 3-pointer Saturday night.

“We wanted to focus defensively on their 3-pointers,” Nelson said.
The Saints did just that, holding Minot to zero percent from behind the arc.

“Defensively we played good, and we did a much better job executing our offense,” Nelson said.

The Saints have now scored 70 points or more in their last two games.

“I think that we are better at understanding what we want to do on the floor,” Nelson said.
Alysha Green broke out of a three-game scoring slump tallying 20 points. Elly Bruursema poured in 11 points and also dished out four assists. Nikki Mills turned in a solid game with 10 points and grabbed eight rebounds and Amy Allen added 10 points and four rebounds.

Minot's Medcalf  did a great job defending Bruursema, holding the 2006 Montana Miss Basketball to 11 points, so Carroll needed someone else to step up.  Green did just that.  Bruursema's uncle, Bill Triplett, was her high school coach at Reed Point, Montana and is currently an assistant coach at Minot State.

MacKenzie Mack socred 22 points for the Beavers and Caroline Folven also hit double figures ith 18.  No other Minot State player was able score more than 6 points.

"Their guards made some shots and ours didn't", commented Minot State head coach Sheila Gerding. " I think we were 0 for 9 from three point range. We did a great job defending them the first half but they shook free too many times the second half and it cost us" Carroll is a very good team."

Carroll College (6-4) - Elly Bruursema 11, Jill Jagelski 6, Nicole Leibach 2, Nikki Mills 10, Sara Meyer 8, Alysha Green 20, Amy Allen 10, Shannon Bosley 4.
Minot State University (4-3) - Caroline Folven 18, MacKenzie Mack 22, Sam Medcalf 3, Whitney Lofesness 6, Dora Garza 4, Caitlin Durkin 3, Holly Siverling 4.

Halftime: Minot St. 27, Carroll 24.

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Medcalf's 3-Pointer Lifts Beavers to Comeback Win 71-70

Medcalf leads MSU to comeback win over Rocky

Rocky played a great first half.  Minot State was equally as tough the second. 

As you might expect when that happens, it all came down to the last possesion as the Beavers trailed by two. MSU was forced to foul and send Rocky's Dani Henderson to the line with 9 seconds remaining. 

Fortunately for the Beavers, Henderson missed the front end of the one-and-one. Folven rebounded the miss and quickly got the outlet pass to Medcalf.  The junior point guard passed the ball up the floor and then spotted up from about 25 feet when the ball came back to her. Medcalf calmly caught and shot the would-be game-winner with just one tick left on the clock. The ball swished through the net as the horn sounded and red light turned on.   Game over - Beavers win! Beavers win! Beavers win! 

"This was a heck of a comeback and exciting finish", stated Coach Gerding.  "This was one of those games that is a huge boost when you get the win in that fashion but it's equally demoralizing when you are on the other end it.   We were in the same situation at Morningside earlier this year and we know what it feels like to have a big lead and see it evaporate to a team that gets on a serious roll.  This time, we were the team that got hot ane we were the team to comeback from 18 down".

Medcalf finished the game with 16 points and MacKenzie Mack continued her stellar play as she dumped in 15.  The Beavers also got solid contributions from Holly Siverling and Caitlin Durkin as they chipped in with 11 and 9 for MSU.  The win moveed the Beavers record to 4-2.

Minot State University (4-2) - Caroline Folven 4-7 0-0 9, MacKenzie Mack 6-12 1-2 15, Sam Medcalf 6-8 0-0 16, Whitney Loftesnes 2-10 2-2 8, Hatti Ternes 1-11 0-0 3, Dora Garza 0-2 0-0 0, Caitlin Durkin 2-3 4-4 9, Ashley King 0-0 0-0 0, Holly Siverling 3-6 5-5 11. Totals: 24-59 12-13 71. 3-point goals: 11-28 (Folven 1-1, Mack 2-4, Medcalf 4-6, Loftesnes 2-7, Ternes 1-6, Garza 0-2, Durkin 1-2). Fouls: 14. Fouled out: Mack. Assists: 9 (Mack 4). Steals: 4 (Medcalf 2). Blocks: 1 (Siverling 1). Rebounds: 31 (Mack 10).

Rocky Mountain College (3-6) - Dani Henderson 3-9 0-1 7, Janie Rayback 8-14 2-3 18, Liz Lewis 5-15 3-4 17, Shaylynn Conroy 4-8 1-3 11, Tana Stewart 2-5 2-2 7, Molly Schenderline 3-8 0-0 8, Jennifer Orchard 0-0 0-0 0, Lisa Schoer 1-2 0-0 2. Totals: 26-61, 8-13, 70. 3-point goals: 10-28 (Henderson 1-4, Lewis 4-10, Conroy 2-4, Stewart 1-4, Schenderline 2-6). Fouls: 15. Turnovers: 16. Assists: 17 (Lewis 6). Steals: 2 (Lewis, Conroy 1). Blocks: 2 (Rayback, Stewart 1). Rebounds: 42 (Rayback, Henderson 9).

Halftime: Rocky 36, Minot State 22.

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Three Little Pigs Help Beavers Get to Hawaii

 

 

The Minot State University women's basketball team is raising money to help fund its trip to Hawaii in December where they will play in a basketball tournament.

Pictured from left to right are Hatti Ternes, Dora Garza, Caroline Folven and employees of Prudential (Cheryl Croonquist, Larry Louser, and Amy Sayler). In Folven's arms is a three-week old female pig named Bob. At the center of the “Haul the Hog” fundraiser, Bob was “given” to a person and if the receiver donated $10, they were able to “send” the pig to someone else.

In one day, five teams of women with three little pigs raised more than $3000 for the trip to Hawaii. Bob was donated by a Knox farmer for the fundraiser and was returned once the event ended.

Anyone wanting to donate to the fundraiser can call Sheila Gerding at 701.858-3261 or Bill Triplett at 701.858-4452 . You may also call the athletic office at 858.3041 or 800.777.0750.

The Lady Beavers would like to send out a big THANK YOU to everyone for contributing to the fundraiser. 

 

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Folven Leads Beavers Over Brandon

The Minot State Lady Beavers traveled north across the border on Monday for a game with the Brandon Lady Bobcats. The Beavers knew that their starting center, Lashay Bagsby, would be out with an injury. Her replacement?  Caroline Folven, or Care Bear, as Bagsby calls the 6' Illinois native.

The sophomore post player shot 9 for 11 from the floor and finished with a game high/careerhigh, as she scored 22 points for the Beavers.  MSU now stands at 3-2 as they head to Billnigs, Montana this weekend for games with Rocky and Carroll, two very good Frontier Conference teams.

Minot had five players in double figures.  Along with Folven, Holly Siverling, Hatti Ternes, MacKenzie Mack and Whitney Loftesnes also chipped in with 12 or more.  Mack achieved the double double as she pulled down 11 boards to go along with her 14 points.

"This was a good game for us," stated Coach Gerding. I saw some imporovement in our team and that's what it's all about this time of year."

MSU: Caroline Folven 9-11 3-4 22, Holly Siverling 6-12 3-4 15, Hatti Ternes 6-12 0-0 14, Whitney Loftesnes 5-11 0-0 12, MacKenzie Mack 6-11 1-2 14, Caitlin Durkin 3-4 0-0 6, Sam Medcalf 2-4 0-0 5, Dora Garza 0-3 1-2 1, Halee Rasmussen 0-4 1-2 1. Totals 37-72 9-14 90

Brandon: Allie Butz 4-17 0-0 9, Jennalee Burch 4-10 0-0 8, Stephanie Lacey-Avon 3-5 1-2 7, Meghan Allison 3-5 1-2 7, Lezley Sutherland 3-8 0-0 6, Sarah Lopes 0-4 4-6 4, Kelsey Solarchuk 1-3 0-0 2, Chelsey Hiebert 1-2 0-0 2, Chelsey Kretai 0-0 1-4 1, Christie McCullough 0-3 0-0 0, Nicisha Johnson 0-0 0-0 0.

3-pointers: MSU: 7-20 (Medcalf 1-2, Folven 1-1, Loftesnes 2-5, Ternes 2-6, Mack 1-2); Brandon: 1-8 (Butz 1-7, McCullough 0-1). Rebounds: MSU: 36 (Mack 11, Folven 7, Siverling 5); Brandon: 32 (Sutherland 5, Lacey-Avon 5). Assists: MSU: 24 (Garza 6, Folven 5, Ternes 3); Brandon: 12 (Lacey-Avon 3). Blocks: MSU: 0; Brandon: 2 (Allison 1, Sutherland 1). Steals: MSU: 15 (Folven 6, Garza 3, Ternes 2); Brandon: 7 (Butz 3). Turnovers: MSU: 20; Brandon: 34.

 

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Northern Hands Lady Beavers 2nd Loss

       Bagsby Drops in 20

MSU-Northern of Havre, MT shot the lights out and Minot State wasn't able to come back like they did the night before.  The Lady Skylights shot 56% for the game as they rolled to the 80-57 win.  The Beavers shot just 35 % in the first half and trailed 42-24 at the half.

"We got off to a slow start and couldn't recover," MSU Head Coach Sheila Gerding said. "Northern is a good team and they were just better than us tonight."

The Beavers had three players in double figures in scoring, led by Lashay Bagsbly's 20.  Bagsby also led in boards with 9.  Juniors MacKenzie Mack and Hatti Ternes each had 11 points. The Beavers now stand at 2-2 and head for Brandon, Manitoba for another non-conference game on Monday, November 17.

 

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Minot Gets Overtime Win at Great Falls 80-70

      Ternes Shoots Beavers to Road Win

It's hard to win a basketball game when you never own the lead in regulation play.

Bagsby, Mack and Parker hit double figures for the Beavers

 

Participants from all 32 teams make up the letters "NAIA" in Sioux City, Iowa at the national tournament.

Whitney Loftesnes (left) and Lashay Bagsby (right) go up for two points in a Dakota Athletic Conference basketball game against Dakota State Friday at the MSU Dome.

Bagsby Dumps in 22 in Beaver Win

In a game where Minot State University scored 90 points, its defense was the star.

The Beavers held the University of Winnipeg scoreless for 7:54 spanning the first and second halves and blew out the Wesmen 90-55 in nonconference women's basketball Friday at the MSU Dome.

“We were a little fatigued and had a let down on defense,” MSU head coach Sheila Green Gerding said. “We didn't handle their pressure for a couple of possessons right away. But credit the kids, they battled.”

MSU led by as many as 13 points in the early going, but Winnipeg cut the lead to just 38-35 on an offensive rebound putback by Alex MacIver with 1:48 to play in the first half.

The ensuing MSU possession loomed large in the final outcome. MSU forward Brittni Walker was fouled and went to the line for a one-and-one. During the Walker free throw, Winnipeg head coach Tanya McKay was whistled for a technical foul and Walker hit all four free throws giving MSU a 42-35 lead. The Beavers went on to outscore the Wesmen 26-0 over the next eight minutes to put the game away.

“We talked about getting some intensity on defense and getting into a flow on offense,” MSU senior Kendra Meyer said. “I think we were a little tired. We had that line change and got some fresh legs in and that made a difference. It is tough to come off of a break and know where you are at, but everybody stayed in pretty good shape.”

It was Meyer, Walker and junior post Lashay Bagsby that keyed the Beavers' run late in the first half and on into the second half. Meyer and Walker each finished with 12 points in the first half and Bagsby scored 12 of her game-high 22 points in the Beavers' 17-0 run to start the second half. Bagsby added five rebounds, two steals and a blocked shot in just 16 minutes.

“I felt pretty good,” Bagsby said. “We kept the intesity going during the run. It took a little while to get into the game. The defense got us going.”

The Wesmen (6-8 overall) never threatened after the MSU run, shooting just 5 of 34 from the 3-point line and only 29.6 percent for the contest.

“We talked about playing hard on every play before the Christmas break and for the most part I thought we did that,” Green Gerding said.

Walker added 17 points, four rebounds and two assists and Meyer finished with 12 points, five rebounds and five assists in a fine all-around game.

“Kendra did get as many shots as we need her to have later in the season, but distributed the ball very well,” Green Gerding said. “She fits well into the point-guard position easily because she sees the court so well.”

“It's fine,” Meyer said of the point position. “I like it. It is something different that we can use later in the year. I don't care about all the numbers, the only one is the final score.”

Green Gerding was not only happy with her starting post Bagsby, but backup Caroline Folven as well.

“Lashay has gotten better and better as the year has went on,” she said. “And I thought that we got great minutes out of Caroline off the bench.”

Folven and Kayla Rettig each finished with 10 points in reserve roles for the Beavers (9-5 overall).

The Wesmen were paced by Amy Ogidan's 10 points and six rebounds, but didn't have another player reach double figures.

The two teams tangle again tonight at 7 p.m. at the Dome as part of a double header. It is the final tune up for the MSU women's team before resuming conference play January 11 against rival Dakota State.