SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- The Beavers earned their first trip to the postseason since 2019-20 in dramatic fashion Saturday afternoon.
Needing a win to avoid tie-breakers and automatically punch its ticket to the NSIC Tournament, the Minot State women's basketball team erased a 15-point deficit with six minutes left to play and toppled host Sioux Falls 65-64 in the final regular season game for both NSIC foes.
With the victory, the Beavers secured the 10th seed in next week's NSIC Tournament as they tied with the Cougars with matching 7-15 NSIC records, but Minot State wins the head-to-head tie-break by virtue of sweeping Sioux Falls this season, beating them 62-60 at the MSU Dome in January and securing Saturday's 65-64 victory.
The Beavers (10-21 overall) next will play in the NSIC Tournament first round on Wednesday at 6 p.m. at 7th-seeded St. Cloud State. The Huskies won both meetings with the Beavers this season.
"What a great comeback for our team," Minot State coach Mike Brandt said. "To be able to score seven and five points in the first two quarters and come back with 25 and 28 in the third and fourth - was just unbelievable! Many players stepped up and played extremely well and our bench was fantastic during the come back.
"I am so happy for the players as we were picked last (15th) in the conference and we end up getting the 10th seed with no seniors." Minot State's coach added.
Lorelei McIver hit a buzzer-beating shot with just two seconds left on the clock to lead the Minot State women's basketball team past the Sioux Falls Cougars.
The Beavers had four players score in double figures, led by Maya Aguilar, who had 14 points, six rebounds and six steals. Sydney Gustavsson tacked on 13 points and three steals and McIver chipped in as well with 11 points.
Led by Gustavsson's four offensive rebounds, Minot State did a great job crashing the offensive glass, pulling down 11 boards that resulted in seven second-chance points.
Minot State forced 25 Sioux Falls turnovers while committing 18 themselves in Saturday's game. The Beavers turned those takeaways into 27 points on the offensive end of the floor. Aguilar's six steals led the way for Minot State.
How It Happened
Minot State started off strong, putting together a 7-4 lead heading into the second quarter. Minot State did most of its first-quarter damage in the paint, scoring four of its seven points close to the basket.
The Beavers could not maintain their lead in the second quarter and entered halftime trailing 25-12.
Sioux Falls continued to increase its lead after halftime, building a 33-19 advantage before Minot State went on a 5-0 run, punctuated by a three from Aguilar, to trim its deficit to 33-24 with 6:32 to go in the third. Sioux Falls countered and stretched its lead to 47-37 heading into the fourth. Minot State played well near the basket, scoring 14 of its 25 points in the paint.
Sioux Falls kept widening its lead in the fourth, constructing a 59-44 advantage before Minot State went on a 12-0 run, finished off by Jaime Skeggs' three, to shrink the deficit to 59-56 with 2:24 to go in the contest. The Beavers kept the rally going and took the lead for good on McIver's layup with 2 seconds left for a 65-64 comeback victory. Minot State took advantage of six Sioux Falls turnovers in the quarter, scoring eight points off of those takeaways.
Game Notes
» McIver sunk a buzzer beater with two seconds left.
» The Beavers rallied from a 15-point 59-44 fourth-quarter deficit to pick up the win.
» The Minot State defense forced 25 turnovers.
» Minot State cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 11 offensive boards in the game.
» Maya Aguilar led the Beavers with 14 points.
» Minot State got a team-high six rebounds from Maya Aguilar.
This article was created using technology provided by Data Skrive.
