ST. CLOUD, Minn. (Dec. 30, 2016) – Minot State University women's basketball played its most complete game start to finish to earn its first Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference game, topping St. Cloud State 77-63 Friday at Halenbeck Hall.
 
The Beavers (3-10 overall, 1-6 NSIC) shot 73.9 percent in the second half and held SCSU to just 29 percent shooting after halftime to outscore SCSU 46-31.
 
"I'm so proud of our effort on defense tonight," MSU head coach Sheila Green Gerding said. "Our kids were locked in and focused the whole game and we controlled the boards down the stretch.  We attacked offensively and took good shots. We really competed at every position."
 
When the Huskies missed, it was most likely rebounded by junior Kristal Flowers as she finished with a career-high 18 rebounds with 16 coming on the defensive end to help MSU to a commanding 47-30 advantage on the boards.
 
MSU trailed by a point at halftime despite shooting 56 percent in the first half as SCSU pulled down nine offensive rebounds to keep plays alive. The result was a 36-23 advantage in total shots by SCSU in the half. The Huskies finished with a 79-46 advantage in total shots as the Beavers had 29 turnovers in the game, but SCSU had just six offensive board in the second half.
 
Mariah Payne scored a game-high 22 points, hitting two 3-pointers and 4 of 5 free throws. She added three assists and two rebounds. She led four players in double figures as eight of the nine Beavers who played in the game scored.
 
"Kristal did an amazing job on the boards, and Mariah Payne had her best game to date," Green Gerding added.
 
Betsy MacDonald led SCSU with 15 points and added five assists. Chelsea Nooker scored 12 in the loss.
 
Kari Clements, Kori Eurich and Madison Wald joined Payne in double figures. Clements scored 13 and added seven assists and three steals. Eurich dropped in two 3-pointers for 11 and Wald came off the bench to score 10. Haley Hildenbrand finished with seven points and five rebounds, while Flowers and Diondra Denton each scored six. Denton added eight rebounds for the Beavers.
 
MSU will look to finish out 2016 with its second-straight NSIC win as the Beavers travel to Minnesota Duluth for a New Year's date with the Bulldogs.
 
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.