MINOT, N.D. – Minot State University's defense stiffened in the second half, but the Beavers could not get on track offensively, falling 57-46 to Minnesota State University Moorhead in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference women's basketball Saturday at Alex Nemzek Fieldhouse.
 
The Beavers scored 18 first-quarter points, but finished with just 28 the rest of the way. The shooting issues hampered all aspects of the Beavers offense as MSU shot 29.8 percent overall, 23 percent on 3-pointers and 46.7 percent from the free throw line. Minot State come into the weekend hitting 75 percent from the line.
 
"I'm very proud of our overall effort," said MSU head coach Sheila Green Gerding. "We showed a lot of defensive toughness. We are definitely making strides in the right direction."
 
MSU (2-7 overall, 0-3 NSIC) did enough on defense to win, limiting the Dragons to just 23 points in the second half and just 30 percent shooting overall. But MSUM outscored the Beavers 16-7 from the line and the Dragons held a 39-32 rebounding advantage.
 
Minot State held multiple three-point leads in the second quarter, the final time on a layup by Haley Hildenbrand with 7:48 to play in the quarter. But MSUM went on a 9-2 run to finish off the half.
 
The Dragons (6-1, 3-0) never relinquished the lead from there on out, but MSU kept it close until late. Sam Brizee made it a one-point game with 40 seconds to play in the third quarter as the Beavers held MSUM to just six points in the third quarter. After a short spurt by MSUM to start the fourth quarter, Minot State again cut the lead to just four at 48-44 with 5:01 to play in the game. The Dragons, however, hit 7 of 8 free throws down the stretch to pull away.
 
Drew Sannes led all scorers with 16 points to pace MSUM. Jacky Volkert added 14 points, nine assists and four rebounds in the win.
 
Hildenbrand scored 12 points, added four rebounds, three assists, one block and one steal to help the Beavers cause. Kori Eurich hit two 3-pointers for 11 points and Krystal Flowers scored eight points for Minot State.
 
The Beavers return home for their NSIC opening weekend, taking on Augustana University Friday and Wayne State College Saturday. Game times are set for 6 p.m. Friday and 4 p.m. Saturday.
 
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.