SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Minot State University was outscored 40-29 in the second half as the University of Sioux Falls steadily pulled away throughout the game for an 87-54 win in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference women's basketball Friday at the Stewart Center.

Minot State (4-5 overall, 1-2 NSIC) struggled to shot the ball in all facets of the game. The Beavers were limited to just 35.6 percent from the field, including 15.4 percent on 3-pointers, and knocked down just 10 for 19 from the free throw line.

After a slow start, the Beavers looked to have righted the ship midway through the second quarter as MSU cut an early 12 point lead down to just six behind 10 points from senior Sarah Lester (F, Frenchtown, N.D.).

But the Cougars (9-1, 3-1) built it back up to 12 by halftime and took a 37-25 lead into the break.

It only got worse from there for MSU. The Cougars held MSU without a field goal for just over five minutes in the third quarter and pushed the lead to 21 on a Taylor Varsho 3-pointer. USF outscored Minot State 28-11 in the third quarter.
Minot State wasn't able to recover from that point and did not cut the lead to less than 20 the rest of the way.

Varsho was a load on the offensive end for USF, who received votes in the latest WBCA Coaches DII Women's Basketball Top 25 Poll, as she scored a game-high 30 points and added six rebounds and five assists. Alison Klostergaard finished with 10 points and nine rebounds in the win.

Lester led the Beavers with 12 points and added four rebounds. Savana Kingsbury (Sr., F, Omaha, Neb.) finished with 11 points, eight rebounds and two assists and Kori Eurich (Jr., G, Pueblo, Colo.) scored nine points for the Beavers in the loss.

Minot State will look to rebound and even its record at Southwest Minnesota State Saturday starting at 5 p.m.

About Minot State
Minot State University is a member of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) and NCAA Division II offering 14 men's and women's varsity intercollegiate athletics programs. The NSIC is a premier NCAA DII, 16-member conference featuring teams in North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Nebraska and Iowa. The Beavers are the only public NCAA Division II institution in the state of North Dakota.

– GO BEAVERS –