MINOT, N.D. – There was some question to how Minot State would react to playing a day after losing by two points to rival University of Mary Friday.

After all, the Beavers were taking on a Michigan Tech team who has already beaten three Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference teams, is ranked No. 20 in the country and the Beavers were down to just eight players with injury.

Overall, the Beavers responded.

But the Huskies flexed their shooting prowess early in the second half and hung on to top a fatigued Minot State squad winning 77-69 in nonconference NCAA Division II women's basketball Saturday at the MSU Dome.

"I felt like we did our dry spell again where we went 10 straight possessions and didn't get anything done," said MSU head coach Sheila Green Gerding. "You can't do that in good games. I thought we got some great opportunities and didn't convert and we need to stop that. We need to make our layups. We need to make our free throws."

The Beavers finished with a 12-11 advantage in the free throw category but Tech was 11 for 13, while MSU ended 12 of 20 and missed some key ones late as the Beavers were looking to make a move.

Minot State (6-6 overall) led 33-30 at halftime behind solid defense and aggressive offensive play. The Beavers shot 50 percent from the floor, hitting 16 of 32 and held the Huskies to just 13 of 32 shooting.

"I think we made progress tonight. I thought we played really hard defensively," Green Gerding said. "That's a very good team."

But the Huskies (8-0 overall) came out firing early in the second half to erase the small MSU lead and push to as many as 11 in the half. The run was mainly due to 3-point shooting as MT hit 5 of 9 in the second half, while MSU missed its only three of the half. Tech outscored Minot State 47-36 in the second half.

Brenna Heise was a big reason for the Tech scoring run in the second half as she paced her team with 22 points, hitting multiple midrange jumpers early in the half. Four other Huskies finished with double figures as Morgan Anderson added 16, Jillian Ritchie 14, Danielle Blake 11 and Kelli Guy 10. Blake finished with a double-double with 12 rebounds and added four assists. Anderson finished with six assists in the win.

Diondra Denton (So., G, Great Falls, Mont.) had a game-high 24 points and notched her first double-double with 11 rebounds. Christina Boag (Sr., F, Tamworth, Australia) nearly had a double-double with 12 points and nine rebounds, while Savana Kingsbury (Jr., F, Omaha, Neb.) and Alex Haley (So., G, Libertyville, Ill.) scored 10 points apiece. Haley finished with seven assists for the Beavers.

Minot State is now off until after the New Year when they get back into NSIC play at Bemidji State and Minnesota Crookston.

"We've got some kids that need to heal up and need some rest," Green Gerding said. "I like where we're at right now. If we come back and hit it hard and I think continue to progress – when you're worn out it's hard to do that – I think the break is coming at a perfect time for us."