MINOT, N.D. – Minot State University started strong against No. 24 ranked Minnesota State University Moorhead.

Three minutes into the third quarter, the Beavers held a 10 point lead.

But MSU went cold and the Dragons took advantage to outscore Minot State 31-7 over the final 17 minutes of the game to rally for a 66-52 win in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference women's basketball Friday at the Minot State Dome.

"I thought we competed," said MSU head coach Sheila Green Gerding. "I loved our fight. I thought we came out with good focus, we were scrappy on defense and our offense was executing – we had good spacing. But there were moments where we went a little crazy and when we struggled to score, our focus wasn't there on defense."

The Beavers (3-12 overall, 1-8 NSIC) hit their first four shots of the second half – all 3-pointers – to erase a two-point halftime deficit. The MSU run actually started with a 3 just before the halftime buzzer by Madison Wald giving MSU five straight from beyond the arc. But MSU made just one basket after Kori Eurich's triple gave MSU the 10-point lead with 7:46 to play.

To compound matters, the Dragons (12-1, 9-0) settled in and finished with 31 points in the final 15 minutes.

"There was a point there where we don't score and then don't get back and give up a layup. I think the effort was close to excellent, but the focus was maybe three-quarters," she said. "We were close, but we have to clean that up. We can't give up focus."

MSUM finished with three players in double figures paced by Cassidy Thorson's 16. The Dragons, who won for the 12th straight time, finished with a 35-31 rebounding advantage, and held a 13-3 offensive board advantage, something the Beavers have been solid in all season.

Kari Clements hit three 3-pointers and went a perfect 6 for 6 from the line to lead MSU with 15 points. Wald also hit three 3s and scored 11, while Eurich added 10 points and four assists for MSU. Kristal Flowers led the Beavers with eight rebounds to go along with seven points.

Minot State will look to regroup Saturday against another top 25 team, taking on No. 25 Northern State starting at 4 p.m. at the Dome.

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.