Box Score MINOT, N.D. – It took a record-setting night and a huge defensive stand, but Minot State University women's basketball held on to its first-ever Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference postseason win, fending off Upper Iowa 74-73 in front of a raucous 913 fans Wednesday at the Minot State Dome.

The win sends the Beavers (19-8 overall) to the NSIC / Sanford Health Women's Basketball Tournament quarterfinals Sunday in Sioux Falls, S.D. Minot State takes on Concordia-St. Paul Sunday at 6 p.m. at the Sanford Pentagon.

You have to give Upper Iowa credit, they threw their best punch at us," said MISU head coach Sheila Green Gerding. "They played a bunch of different defenses and really caught us off guard for what we had prepared for, so that was a smart move by their coaching staff. It came down to just making plays at the end and making free throws."

The final play came down to a huge block by junior guard Morgan Klose (Fairview, Mont.) on UIU's Whitney Kieffer as time expired to solidify the win. Minot State took a 74-73 lead on a layup by Christina Boag (Jr., F, Tamworth, Australia) with nine seconds to play. After a timeout, UIU set things up for Kieffer, who drove the right side, but had the ball knocked away by Klose as she drove for the game winner.

"It was definitely a relief to hear the final buzzer tonight. I wasn't sure whether they were going to call a foul or not, but what a great win and what an environment to play in," Green Gerding said.

While Klose's defensive stop and Boag's layup gave the game its final dramatics, getting there was mainly Carly Boag (Sr., F, Tamworth, Australia). She shattered the NSIC single game playoff scoring mark with a MISU record 46 points, scoring 24 points in the first and 22 in the second half. She also finished with 16 rebounds, five blocks and five steals.
"It was about just attacking, getting inside, posting up strong and finishing," Carly Boag said. "They did a good job of getting the ball into me and I was able to finish."

The Beavers needed every bit of her 24 first-half points as the upset minded Peacocks (5-22) raced out to a 13-point lead behind Sam Thrapp and Carly Pagel who combined for 15 points in the half.

But Minot State chipped away at the 13-point margin to cut it to a 34-30 lead at halftime as Carly Boag scored the final 10 points for the Beavers and, coupled with a three-point play by Klose, outscored Upper Iowa 13-4 over the final six minutes.

"It almost seems like everyone else stood around and wasn't looking to do much because we were so busy watching Carly go to work," Green Gerding said. "But it was a special night for her. She was very good."

Thrapp led the Peacocks with 20 points and added six assists and Kieffer scored 13 points in the second half for 16 in the game for Upper Iowa. Pagel ended with 10 points and Lauren Buck scored eight and pulled down six rebounds in the loss.

Christina Boag came on strong in the second half to finish with 12 points and added five assists. Klose scored seven, dished out five assists and had two rebounds in the win for Minot State.