CROOKSTON, Minn. – After a strong first quarter, Minot State University's nemesis reared its ugly head.

The Beavers were outscored 25-10 in the second quarter to erase a five-point lead after the first quarter as Minnesota Crookston pulled away for an 86-70 win in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference women's basketball Friday at Lysaker Gymnasium.

MSU (4-23 overall, 2-19 NSIC) hit seven field goals and all five free throws in the first quarter to move into the lead. But the Beavers cooled off to just 35.8 percent shooting for the game, making just three field goals in the second quarter.

The Golden Eagles (7-18, 7-14), on the other hand, heated up in the second, making nine field goals to take a 41-31 lead at half. UMC used four 3-pointers in the third quarter to make it a 12-point lead after three and held off any late comeback attempt by MSU by making 15 free throws in the fourth quarter. UMC finished 23 of 27 from the line.

A big part of the free throw game for the Golden Eagles with Alison Hughes. Hughes scored a game-high 26 points behind 12-of-12 shooting from the line and six three pointers.

Minot State's Madison Wald continued a strong second half of the season for the Beavers with 17 points, three rebounds and three assists. Kristal Flowers added 16 points and a team-high seven rebounds, while Diondra Denton and Mariah Payne scored 10 each for MSU.

The Beavers finish off the regular season with a trip to Bemidji State Saturday starting at 4 p.m.

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.