MSU Wins in Overtime of Northern
                                                               

 

        Mack puts up 24 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Beavers to 3rd Straight Win

Minot State University junior Whitney Loftesnes wasn't overly happy with how regulation ended.

She got some redemption in the extra session.

Loftesnes grabbed an offensive rebound missed free throw kept alive by Ari Hendrix and sunk both free throws to make it a two possession game.

"It felt good to make up for it, but I would have like to make those in regulation so we didn't have to go to overtime," she said. "We find a way to adjust and find a way to execute one way or another in overtime. Somebody pulls through and we come together as a team."

Loftesnes score 17 points, dished out five assists and pulled down five rebounds to help the Beavers to a 64-61 overtime win over Montana State-Northern in nonconference NAIA women's basketball Saturday at the MSU Dome.

"She did a good job of attacking," MSU head coach Sheila Green Gerding said. "Teams are going to try to stop her as a shooter and she did a good job of not settling for the outside shot."

It was the second overtime win for the Beavers over the first three games of the season. MSU has found a way to win both as the Beavers ran their record to 3-0 on the season.

"These two could have gone one way or another. We gave them chances, but found a way to get it back," Green Gerding said.

Loftesnes missed a one-and-one with 17 seconds to play and Northern (0-3) responded with a tying basket by Taylor Keller with 6.2 seconds to play.

The Beavers quickly got momentum back in the extra session as Mackenzie Mack pulled down an offensive rebound and scored 31 seconds in. After a Skylights' free throw, Loftesnes pulled down another offensive board and hit two free throws for a 59-56 lead. The Beavers hit 7-of-10 free throws in overtime to preserve the win.

"This was one of those games where we never got into a flow," Green Gerding said. "Give (Northern) credit defensively. They did a nice job of stopping our sets. But I thought we were sound (defensively). We just never got into a flow and never got a break to get control of the game. I am proud of how we responded in the second half."

It was a nightmare start for MSU as the Beavers trailed by as many as 14 points. But a 17-2 run down heading into halftime gave MSU a 25-24 lead at halftime - and much-needed confidence.

"Just to go in with a lead was big because we have been used to that so far this year. It helped us get more comfortable," Loftesnes said. "I think coach got into us a little. We thought we came out with good energy, but weren't playing at full capacity."

Northern trailed by as much as eight in the second half but kept pushing. MSU went up 53-45 on a Sam Medcalf basket with 4:11 to play, but the Skylights' Kori Bingham and Laramie Schwenke hit two 3-pointers 45 second apart to get it back to a one possession game.

According to Green Gerding, it felt like a one-possession game nearly the entire second half.

"Absolutely, the whole game," she said. "Our press was good. Right away they missed a couple 3s which is what we were forcing them to do and they had to work hard to get a shot in the 18 or so seconds."

Samm Schermele led Northern with 20 points, hitting three 3-pointers. Keller and Schwenke knocked down three triples each as well scoring 11 and 10 points respectively. Zivile Gaizutyte pulled down 13 rebounds to go along with seven points for the Skylights.

Mack had another massive game with 24 points, 11 rebounds, three steals and an assist in just under 44 minutes of play. Hendrix added nine points, five steals, five rebounds and four assists.