MINOT, N.D. – Minot State University got the start it was looking for.

The Beavers lead 21-14 after the first quarter, but couldn't sustain that momentum as Bemidji State rallied for an 83-57 win in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference women's basketball Friday at the Minot State Dome.

MSU (3-16 overall, 1-12 NSIC) scored just nine points in the second quarter, but still only trailed by six at halftime. BSU (6-11, 3-10) pushed that lead to double figures with a 21-15 third quarter and it remained double figures for the rest of the game.

"We gave our young kids some time in the battle, in the heat and they have us some pretty good minutes," said MSU head coach Sheila Green Gerding. "At times they played well and at times they looked inexperienced."

The Beavers played just eight players due to injury with both Madison Wald and Kari Clements logging 40 minutes in the game.

"Maddie and Kari logged a lot of minutes and gave us everything they could," Green Gerding said. "Give them a lot of credit, this league is tough and it's difficult to play 40 minutes and we are going to ask them to give us 80. I have all the faith in them to dig and claw and get through."

Clements and Reina Strand were keys to Minot's strong start. Clements scored eight of her team-high 14 points in the first quarter, hitting two 3s, while Strand hit a 3 of her own and knocked down eight of her career-high 10 points as MSU built the early lead.

"We had good ball movement early and our rotations were good early," Strand said. "It was tough because we are a young team as it is and had some of our older kids out."

"Reina came out and played well, had some good confidence," added Green Gerding.

BSU build their lead behind great shooting – driving to the basket for multiple layups – after the first quarter. Bemidji hit 20 of 28 shots in the second half and finished hitting 56.9 percent from the field.

Aimee Pelzer led all scorers with 25 points and added six assists and four rebounds for BSU in the win.

Along with Clements and Strand, Wald reached double figures in scoring, netting 11. Gabby Wilkinson scored six and led the Beavers with seven rebounds. Strand and Whitney Molina added six rebounds apiece with Molina finishing with six points and two assists.

MSU will look to rebound with a 4 p.m. start Saturday against Minnesota Crookston.

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.