BILLINGS, Mont. -- The Minot State women's basketball team used a second-half surge to give their new head coach Ryan Clark his first win as the Beavers head coach on Sunday.
Rallying from an 8-point deficit in the first half, Minot State dominated the third quarter en route to a 72-55 win over the Texas A&M International Dustdevils at Alterowitz Gymnasium in the finale of the DII CCA Tip-Off Tournament hosted by Montana State Billings.
The Beavers (1-2 overall) had three players score in double figures, Taylor Goss, who had 15 points and two steals, Lara Dobbins, who added 15 points and two steals off of the bench, and Maya Aguilar, who also chipped with 15 points and two steals.
Minot State shared the ball well in Sunday's game, racking up 15 assists on 26 made field goals. Emma Mogen's five assists led the Beavers and Sydney Gustavsson also helped out with five assists of her own.
Mogen added 9 points and 6 rebounds, and after the tournament was named to the All-Tournament Team
The Minot State defense held Texas A&M International shooters to just 33.3 percent from the field, including 20 percent from three-point range.
Coaches Comments
"It's a great feeling," Clark said of win No. 1 with Minot State, adding, "super proud of the ladies.
"I loved the toughness our team showed today," he added. "Things didn't go our way early but we continue to battle defensively and shots began to drop for us. Overall, this was a positive weekend for us, we grew and got better. Excited to build off this."
How It Happened
After falling behind 3-1, Minot State went on an 8-0 run with 8:07 left in the first quarter, culminating in a bucket from Dobbins, to take a 9-3 lead. The Beavers then surrendered that lead and entered the second quarter down 18-15.
Minot State chipped away at that deficit and built a 29-27 lead before going on a 5-0 run, highlighted by a bucket from Natalie Holte, to increase its lead to 34-27. The Dustdevils then came roaring back to take a 35-30 lead heading into halftime.
After intermission, Minot State cut its deficit to 33-32 before going on a 15-0 run to grab a 47-33 lead with 4:24 to go in the third. Before the conclusion of the third period, the Dustdevils had cut into that lead somewhat, but the Beavers still entered the fourth quarter with a 54-42 edge. Minot State played well near the basket, scoring 12 of its 24 points in the paint.
Minot State went on a 7-0 run, finished off by Dobbins' three, to stretch the lead to 61-44 with 7:19 to go in the contest and never looked back. Minot State took advantage of its opportunities in the post, scoring 10 of its 18 points in the paint.
Game Notes
» The Beavers held the Dustdevils to only 33.3 percent shooting from the field.
» Minot State recorded 15 total assists in the game.
» Minot State had a stellar day defensively, holding Texas A&M International to 20 percent from beyond the arc on 15 attempts.
» The Minot State bench came alive by adding 23 points to its scoring output.
» The Minot State defense forced 24 turnovers.
» Taylor Goss and Lara Dobbins led the Beavers with a game-high 15 points apiece.
» Minot State got a team-high six rebounds from Emma Mogen.
This article was created using technology provided by Data Skrive.
