FAYETTE, Iowa – Minot State University rallied from double-digit deficits twice, but in the end, Upper Iowa had too much to handle as the Peacocks finished off MSU 65-53 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference women's basketball Saturday at Dorman Gymnasium.

The Beavers (3-19 overall, 1-15 NSIC) trailed by as many as 10 points early in the second quarter as Upper Iowa outscored MSU 24-13 in the first 11 minutes of the game. But the Beavers went on a big run of their own, outscoring UIU 14-2 over the next five minutes capped by a 3-pointer by Madison Wald to give Minot State a 27-26 lead.

Upper Iowa (3-17, 3-13) again built the lead to double figures, outscoring MSU 15-6 in the third quarter. But again, Minot State rallied get within striking distance at 58-49 on a Wald layup.

MSU had the ball with a chance to cut it six after turnover by UIU, but the Beavers missed a 3 and gave up a quick 5-0 run to end any chance of a comeback.

"We competed hard tonight but got out hustled on the boards and in some other areas," said MSU head coach Sheila Green Gerding. "We ran out of steam in the second half and they took advantage of it. We have to bounce back and be ready to defend our home court Friday."

Carly Pagel scored a game-high 20 points and added 10 rebounds to pace the Peacocks. Madi Meier came off the bench to hit four 3-pointers and scored 12 points in the win.

Wald paced Minot State with 19 points and added two rebounds and a steal. Gabby Wilkinson scored 11 and pulled down eight rebounds for the Beavers. MSU shot just 38 percent from the field and made just 3 of 18 3-pointers overall.

The Beavers return to Minot next weekend for the first two of four straight at the Dome, taking on Southwest Minnesota State and the University of Sioux Falls Friday and 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.