MINOT, N.D. – Minot State University was outscored 28-24 in the fourth quarter to fall 94-88 in a back and forth contest with former Dakota Athletic Conference rival University of Jamestown in nonconference NCAA Division II women's basketball Sunday at the Minot State Dome.

The game featured nine ties, five lead changes and big runs by both teams. MSU lead early by eight and UJ held an 11-point lead in the fourth quarter before Minot State made a late run.

"We will need to get better on the defensive end, we are just giving up too much," said MSU head coach Sheila Green Gerding. "On offense, we had great production and shot the ball pretty well all night. We have some young kids and we have a lot of learning to do, but the biggest thing is we need to get a better defensive mindset."

After the Beavers (1-4 overall) opened with the 11-3 run, the game tightened up. It was tied 18-18 after the first quarter and Minot State led by four 42-38 at the break thanks in part to a big steal and a three-point play by Kari Clements at the halftime buzzer.
Clements and Mariah Payne paced MSU with 23 points apiece, while Clements finished with six assists, two rebounds and two steals in 40 minutes.

"Kari had a gutty performance today as she didn't get a sub the whole way," Green Gerding said.

The Jimmies (5-2 overall) used 3-pointers to first, make a comeback after the early deficit, and then late, to make a run pushing to an 11 point lead with just 2:46 to play. In all, UJ hit 15 of 31 3-pointers, taking four more triples than two-point shots.

After the 11-point lead, MSU mounted a comeback of its own, getting 3s from Payne and Diondra Denton and free throws by Payne and Clements all in the final two minutes. UJ, however, hit 6 of 8 free throws in that stretch to preserve the win.

"Mariah had a good offensive game," Green Gerding said. "And 'D' had a great weekend for us. We have to keep plugging away and hope to get our post game going."

Kyra Dewald hit eight of the Jimmies 15 3s, scoring a game-high 33 points in the win. Bryn Woodside added 18 points and six assists for UJ.

Along with Clements and Payne, Denton and Kori Eurich reached double figures in scoring. Denton finished with a double-double, scoring 13 points and adding 11 rebounds to go along with two assists and Eurich hit two 3s as a part of her 15 points.

Minot State will finish off nonconference play Wednesday evening playing host to Mayville State starting at 6 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.