BEMIDJI, Minn. – Minot State University head coach Sheila Green Gerding challenged her team to be tougher following a loss Friday at Minnesota Crookston.

The Beavers – especially on the defensive end – responded.

Minot State held Bemidji State to just 35.2 percent shooting – including just 6 for 24 in the first half – to sweep the season series with a 66-58 win in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference women's basketball Saturday at the BSU Gym.

"We had a great effort tonight from our whole team on the defensive end," said Green Gerding. "We were very active and stingy on defense. I'm very proud of our effort tonight."

Minot State (10-16 overall, 7-13 NSIC) used a solid defensive effort in the first half to lead 30-21 at halftime, but Bemidji (7-17, 3-17) rallied to lead by six points early in the fourth quarter behind a big 22-11 spurt in the third quarter.

But MSU had enough in the tank to form a rally of its own.

Sarah Lester (Sr., F, Frenchtown, Mont.) started the comeback with a jumper on the next possession after BSU took its biggest lead. MSU scored the game's next eight points with Kari Clements (RFr., G, Trevor, Wis.) netting seven of her 12 points in the run to give MSU a 51-49 lead.

"Offensively, Sarah and Savana (Savana Kingsbury, Sr., F, Omaha, Neb.) willed us to win," Green Gerding said. "Kari also made some significant contributions on both ends."

Minot's lead eventually grew to 55-51 as Clements added a steal and pass for an Alex Haley (Jr., G, Libertyville, Ill.) layup just moments after taking the lead. From there it was a free throw contest which Minot State won convincingly going 9 for 10 in the final 1:03 including five makes by Kingsbury. MSU was 24 of 30 from the line in the game, hitting 13 of 15 in the second half and finished with a 24-9 advantage on free throws.

Aimee Pelzer led a trio of BSU Beavers in double figures as she scored 18 points. Tatum Sheley added 14 points and six rebounds in a losing effort.

Kingsbury had a huge night, scoring a team-high 18 points and pulling down 15 rebounds. She was 8 for 10 from the field and added an assist. Lester finished with 17 points and seven rebounds, while Clements and Haley scored 12 apiece for Minot State.

The Beavers return home for the final NSIC regular season weekend, taking on St. Cloud State and Minnesota Duluth to finish the season.

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.