FAYETTE, Iowa – Minot State University shot 57.4 percent from the floor and had its second solid Friday night on the road as the Beavers topped Upper Iowa 74-61 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference women's basketball at Dorman Gymnasium.

Two weeks ago, the Beavers blistered the nets for 81 points in an 81-58 win over Bemidji State at Bemidji, Minn.

This week, MSU (8-9 overall, 3-8 NSIC) used a 42-point second half to pull away from Upper Iowa for the Beavers third win in conference play. The win snapped a three-game losing streak for Minot State.

"We played with a lot of energy tonight and gave an outstanding overall effort," said MSU head coach Sheila Green Gerding. "We defended well, rebounded well and made shots – a lot of nice things tonight. But we are most pleased with was the overall effort we gave in all positions for the whole game."

The second-half spurt came mainly behind the play of Morgan Klose (Sr., G, Fairview, N.D.), Sarah Lester (Jr., G, Frenchtown, Mont.) and Christina Boag (Sr., F, Tamworth, Australia). Klose finished with 13 of her game-high 20 points in the second half, while Lester added 18 points – 12 in the second – and Boag scored eight of her 15 after the break.

Klose was brilliant from the floor, going 8 of 11 overall and hit 3 of 5 3-pointers to break out of a scoring slump. She also added six rebounds, two blocks, one assist and one steal.

Lester's 18 points were a career-high as she was 7 for 9 from the floor and 3 for 4 from the free throw line. Lester also chipped in with five rebounds and two assists.

"Morgan, Sarah and Chris found their rhythm offensively," Green Gerding said. "And several others chipped in to make it a great shooting night for us."

Minot State had another fast start in the game but went through a dry spell just before halftime to take a five-point lead in to the break. Both scenarios – the fast start and the dry spell – have been a pattern much of the year. But MSU was nearly perfect in the second half, missing just nine shots, limiting Upper Iowa to just 39 percent shooting and outrebounding the Peacocks 17-10.

Lauren Buck led Upper Iowa (4-11, 2-9) with 18 points and 12 rebounds. MSU did a solid job on Buck, one of the top scorers in the NSIC, as she hit two 3s in the final minute to get to 18. Olivia Meier added 15 and Lindsay Carroll scored 14 points and added four assists in the loss.

Boag pulled down a team-high 10 rebounds to earn a double-double and added five steals and two blocks in the win for MSU. Alex Haley (So., G, Libertyville, Ill.) added 10 points and five assists, while Katie Hardy (Sr., F, Fairview, N.D.) chipped in with nine points and three rebounds in the win.

Minot State continues on the road, playing at Winona State Saturday with game time set for 4 p.m.