BISMARCK, N.D. – The Minot State women's basketball team fell in its first NSIC game of the season to Mary 67-54.
 
The Marauders were able to take advantage inside during the competition as they scored 44 of their 67 points in the paint as well as scoring 19 second-chance points.
 
The Beavers trailed 2-0 after 106 seconds ticked off the clock and failed to take the lead from their opponents from that point on.
 
After trailing 27-22 at halftime, Minot State closed in on Mary early in the third quarter to get within two, but the Marauders scored 11 straight after that push.
 
The Marauders also led the Beavers in shooting percentage with a comparison of 42.1 to 28.8 percent, which head coach Sheila Green Gerding pointed out after the game.
 
"We didn't shoot the ball well and our execution was poor," Green Gerding said. "When you don't shoot well you have to get second chance points and hustle points. We didn't get enough of those. Hopefully we can learn and grow from this."
 
Kari Clements and Kori Eurich played a team-high 34 minutes as they each scored in double digits with 20 and 12, respectively. Clements also earned three steals while Eurich and Haley Hildenbrand led the team with seven rebounds each.
 
Minot State will play Northern State and Minnesota State University Moorhead on the road next week on Friday at 6 p.m. and Saturday at 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.