WINONA, Minn. – Minot State University gave No. 22 ranked Winona State all it could handle for about 35 of the 40 minutes played Friday.

But a 13-0 WSU run midway thought the fourth quarter broke open an otherwise tight game.

Winona State outscored Minot State 20-12 in the fourth quarter to hold off the upset-minded Beavers in a 69-53 win in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference women's basketball at McCown Gymnasium.

"Our kids came out and really competed," said MSU head coach Sheila Green Gerding. "We were very active defensively and took good shots offensively. We played together and moved the ball well offensively. A couple costly turnovers led to some untimely 3s that stretched the game late in the fourth, but I'm really proud of how hard we are playing."

Minot State (3-18 overall, 1-14 NSIC) trailed by 12 at halftime, 34-22, but cut that lead to just eight at the end of the third quarter with a 19-15 advantage. It was still just an eight-point lead for Winona after MSU's Kari Clements knocked down a 3-pointer with 8:59 to play in the game.

But the Warriors (17-4, 12-3) went on their decisive 13-0 run from there to take 67-46 lead with just under four minutes to play. Minot State couldn't muster another big run from there.

The Beavers hit 44.4 percent from the field and held WSU to 44.6 percent shooting, but the Warriors outscored MSU 33-15 on 3-pointers. Winona State hit just 37.9 percent from beyond the arc, but took 29 3s, making 11 in the game.

Tara Roelofs and Jenny Tuttle scored 19 and 16 points respectively to pace Winona State. Kayla Timmerman also finished in double figures in the win with 10 points, while Hannah McGlone finished with eight rebounds. WSU finished with a 33-24 edge on the glass including a big 15-8 advantage on the offensive end.

Madison Wald and Whitney Molina scored 12 points each to pace Minot State. Wald finished with three rebounds and two assists, while Molina was 4 of 5 from the field, hit all three free throws and added two rebounds and an assist off the bench.

Clements scored 10 points and added five rebounds, three assists and two steals, while Haley Hildenbrand netted 10 as well, pulling down four rebounds in the loss for MSU.

The Beavers finish a long road trip traveling to Upper Iowa for a 4 p.m. matchup 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.