Box Score MINOT, N.D. – Minot State University built a big lead, weathered a storm and then pulled away from Minnesota State-Moorhead in a 72-58 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference women's basketball win Saturday at the Minot State Dome.

The Beavers (7-0 overall, 3-0 NSIC) capped a perfect seven-game homestand to start the season and now have the fourth best overall start in school history. The 2006-07 team opened with 13 straight wins. The Beavers also improved to 7-0 at home and are 100-33 over the past 10 years at the Dome.

"Our effort on the defensive end of the floor was great" said MISU head coach Sheila Green Gerding. "We came out with great energy and that is really what drove us to a win today. Defense leads to turnovers which lead to easy baskets which lead to just a better offense and that's exactly what happened for us."

Minot State's defensive effort in the first half helped the Beavers to a 37-17 halftime lead and MISU extended that to as many 24 – on a 3-pointer by Sarah Lester (So., G, Frenchtown, Mont.) with 14:53 to play in the second half.

But the Dragons (4-3, 0-3) caught a little fire and cut the lead to just 10 on a Haley Thomforde 3-pointer with 7:20 to play.

From there, however, it was all Beavers. Minot State's twin posts Carly Boag (Sr., F, Tamworth, Australia) and Christina Boag (Jr., F, Tamworth, Australia) put on a fast break clinic as Minot State pushed the lead back to 22. Carly Boag found Christina Boag for a pair of nifty assists in the lane and Morgan Klose (Jr., G, Fairview, N.D.) took her turn firing two pinpoint passes to Carly Boag for layups.

"It had a lot to do with our bigs running the floor," Klose on her career high 8 assists. "I think they do that better than anyone in the conference and it makes things easy when all I have to do is get it to them. All the credit goes to them for busting their butts."

"We can ready each other really well and don't even have to be looking at each other or talking to each other; we just know," Christina Boag added on playing with her sister.

Moorhead scored 41 points in the second half and hit twice as many field goals (12-6) in the second as the Dragons did in the first half. MSU-M hit just 6 of 24 in the first half.

Morgan Zabel scored 15 points and added five rebounds and three steals for MSU-M, while Meghan Roehrich added 14 points for the Dragons.
Carly Boag led all scorers with 20 points and added six rebounds and four assists. Christina Boag and Katie Hardy (Jr., F, Fairview, N.D.) scored 13 points apiece with Christina Boag added four steals and three assists to her scoring.

"It's really something special to watch and coach them," Green Gerding said of the Boags. "They're so good together and they are more comfortable out on the court now than maybe they were a few games ago and you are really starting to see that."  

Minot State will have to handle its first road trip of the season, traveling for their final three games of the calendar year. MISU plays at St. Cloud State Friday at 6 p.m. and at Minnesota Duluth Saturday beginning at 4 p.m.