BEMIDJI, Minn. – Minot State University hits for its second highest point total of the season and the most in conference play, but it wasn't enough to overcome perfect Bemidji State free throw shooting.

BSU hit all 27 of its free throw attempts to hold off multiple Minot State charges in a 90-84 win in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference women's basketball Saturday at the BSU Gymnasium.

"We played a complete game tonight and really battled," said MSU head coach Sheila Green Gerding. "We executed and hit shots offensively and fought hard on the boards. Bemidji just played a little better. Defensively we didn't enough stops and put them to the line too many times."

MSU (4-24 overall, 2-20 NSIC) finished eighth in the NSIC North Division and will travel to NSIC South champion Augustana University Wednesday for the first round of the conference playoffs. It is the second time in five seasons the Beavers will face the Vikings in the first round.

Minot State built a 38-37 halftime lead with solid shooting. MSU hit 16 of 31 shots before the break. The Beavers took its biggest lead of the game, 38-35, on a 3-pointer by Kari Clements with a minute to play in the half.

BSU (8-19, 4-18) took control of the game in third quarter, building a 12-point lead on two free throws by Sierra Senske with 2:05 to play in the quarter. But by the end of the third, MSU had cut it to just four as Mariah Payne hit a pair of free throws, Haley Hildenbrand a jumper and Madison Wald a 3 all with less than a minute remaining.

It was back and forth the rest of the way.

Minot never regained the lead, but cut the BSU lead to three with 1:44 remaining on a layup by Payne and had a great look for the tie 40 seconds later, but Clements' triple rimmed in and out. BSU's Aimee Pelzer hit a midrange jumper and Bemidji hit all four free throws down the stretch to preserve the win.

"We had some untimely and costly turnovers," Green Gerding said. "But we had solid contributions from a lot of people tonight."

Pelzer led BSU with 24 points, while Tatum Sheley added 23. Senske hit 14 of 14 free throws for 16 points.

Wald finished with 22 points and two assists for Minot State. Payne scored 15 points and added six assists off the bench. Clements hit for 12 points and dished out three assists and Diondra Denton finished with nine rebounds, seven points and three steals for MSU.

Minot State will take on Augustana at 6 p.m. Wednesday in Sioux Falls, S.D.

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.