MINOT, N.D. – Minot State University freshman Haley Hildenbrand hit 4-of-4 free throws in the final minute and the Beavers finished with six players with at least eight points in a 75-71 win over Lake Superior State in nonconference NCAA Division II women's basketball Friday at the Minot State Dome.

The Beavers (1-3 overall) held the lead for much of the final three quarters and led by as many as 10 points in the fourth, but needed to hold off a charging Lakers team late. Minot State was 8 for 9 overall from the line in the fourth quarter to preserve the win.

"It feels great to get the win," said MSU head coach Sheila Green Gerding. "Haley was huge down the stretch, I love her mentality. She's got a lot of confidence and wanted the ball at the end. She thrives in those moments."

Early on, both teams struggled to find a shooting touch as the two combined for just 8-for-32 shooting in the first quarter. But, the Beavers settled in from there, hitting five 3-pointers in the second quarter to take a 38-32 lead at halftime. MSU's Diondra Denton scored 12 of her game-high 19 points in the first half.

"I've struggled coming back lately so I just had to have a better attitude," Denton said. "I just went with the flow tonight instead of thinking about anything too much. I wanted the ball. I felt more comfortable tonight and wanted to use that. (This win) right now is huge to give us some confidence going into conference."

Denton and Mariah Payne had big games for the Beavers as the duo combined for 36 points, six rebounds and three assists. Payne scored 17 points and added six assists, two steals and two rebounds in the win.

"She's a special player," Green Gerding said of Payne. "She's got to settle down sometimes with the turnovers, but she's getting the kinks out. When you haven't played basketball in a year and a half, you're going to have to work through some things.
"I thought Diondra took over at times and made some strong plays at the basket."

Lake Superior State (1-3) cut the Beavers 10-point lead all the way down to just two on a Claire Radtke layup with nine seconds to play, but Hildenbrand calmly netted two free throws with five second to play to keep it a two possession game.
Radtke paced five Lakers in double figures with 16 points, hitting three 3-pointers. Mackenzie Edward added 14 points, while Rachel Novotny and Natalie Peterson scored 12 each.

Hildenbrand finished with 10 points and five rebounds, securing a big board off a miss with the Beavers up 71-69 with 17 seconds to play. Kari Clements and Kori Eurich scored eight apiece, while Madison Walk chipped in with seven. Kristal Flowers paced the team with seven rebounds in the win.

"I thought Kori and Diondra were key for us tonight. We've been needing some leadership," said Green Gerding. "Kori made some great defensive plays that led to point in transition. It was nice to get our upperclassmen leading the ship and moving us in the right direction."

The Beavers continue nonconference play at the Dome with a Sunday matinee with the University of Jamestown. Opening tip is set for 4 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.