MINOT, N.D. – It wasn't easy for the Minot State University women's basketball to earn a win over Upper Iowa on Friday in the MSU Dome.
 
The Peacocks came back in the fourth quarter to force overtime and did the same in the first OT to force the second, but after the extra 10 minutes the Beavers were able to retain a two-point lead as the time expired. The teams shook hands and left the court with the scoreboard reading 71-69 in favor of MSU.
 
According to redshirt-freshman Kari Clements (G, Trevor, Wis.), who led the team with 16 points, the Beavers had more heart at the end. Clements scored half of her points in extra time as she was able to score the first two points of both overtimes with a pair of layups.
 
This is a pattern building for a player in her first year of competition as she hasn't shot under 50 percent inside the arch in her last six games. Since 2016 began, Clements has been a total of 16 for 22 inside the three-point line in the five January games the Beavers have played. The win overshadows the points, however as MSU recovered from a recent three-game slide.
 
"It's huge to come back and get a win," Clements said. "The crowd was awesome tonight and we had energy on the bench that really helped us push through to get the win."
 
Head coach Sheila Green Gerding praised the play of her bench and younger players as well saying they were a key component to winning the battle against Upper Iowa. Including Clements 16, the Minot State bench was able to total 29 points for the Beavers compared to the Peacocks seven.
 
Green Gerding said her and her staff never felt out of it and even though the players seemed tired toward the end of the game she knew they too believed they would come out on top. The tough win may have even been a good learning point for the team in future.
 
"My feeling is any win in the Northern Sun is a great win because every team is going to battle," Green Gerding said. "It's a great effort to be able to pull out a close game like that. Hopefully it will help us in other games that are close."
 
The rest of the Beavers filled their roles well as starting forward Sarah Lester (Sr., Frenchtown, Mont.) also had 16 points along with seven rebounds. Savana Kingsbury (F, Sr., Omaha, Neb.) kept up her success on the boards with 15 rebounds while point guard Amanda Sansaver (Sr., Wolf Point, Mont.) led the team with five assists.
 
Minot State will compete again tomorrow, January 16, at 4 p.m against Winona State. The game will be held at the MSU Dome. 

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.