MADISON, S.D. – It looked like Minot State University was finally over the hump.

The Beavers, who trailed by 13 points a couple of times in the first half, took a 3-point lead on a 3-pointer by Katie Hardy (Fr., F, Fairview, Mont.) with 3:32 to play in the game.

But Dakota State scored 12 of the final 16 points including a 9-0 run to upset the Beavers 72-67 in Dakota Athletic Conference women's basketball Saturday at the DSU Fieldhouse.

“We didn't come out ready to play,” said MSU head coach Sheila Green Gerding. “And, (Dakota State) capitalized on it.”

MSU could not get the stop it needed late in the second half. MSU twice got the Trojans to miss shots, but both times, DaSU's Julie Munson converted on offensive rebounds.

“We fought hard to come back and take the lead and then gave up plays on mental mistakes,” Green Gerding said. “We had our chances but didn't get it done.”

While the loss was bad enough, it stung even more as MSU had a chance to pull within two games of conference leader Black Hills State and a tie with second place Jamestown College with three games to play. Both BHSU and JC lost on Saturday. Instead, the Beavers are tied with Dickinson State for fourth, still a game back of JC and Valley City State and three games behind BHSU in the loss column.

The Beavers (6-5 DAC, 15-7) were plagued by poor shooting all night as the Beavers mustered just 35.6 percent shooting and only 18.8 percent on 3-pointers.

The Trojans (2-8, 6-16) snapped a five-game losing streak to MSU. DaSU had solid balance as every player who got in the game scored, three finished with double figures led by Munson's 14 and seven finished with six or more. April Mielke added 11 points and Kylie Westover scored 10. The Trojans hit 11 of 31 3-pointers, outscoring MSU 33-9 on 3s.

Lauren Safranski (So., G, Burnsville, Minn.) had one of her best games in a Beavers jersey as she finished with 15 points, six rebounds and two assists. Hardy also scored 15 and pulled down seven rebounds. Sacarra Molina (So., G, Hinsdale, Mont.) finished with 14 points and four assists, while Caroline Folven (Sr., C, Byron, Ill.) scored 13 points and added seven rebounds for the Beavers.

MSU returns home for six straight games to finish the regular season, playing host to Dickinson State Wednesday (5:30 p.m.) in DAC play.