MOORHEAD, Minn. -- Sydney Gustavsson and Ashley Wacha combined to score 32 total points - 61.5 percent of Minot State's points - but the Beavers fell to the Minnesota State Moorhead Dragons 56-52 on the road Thursday in NSIC action.
 

Gustavsson led the Beavers (8-18 overall, 5-12 NSIC) with a season-high 25 points and eight rebounds. Wacha added nine points and two steals from the bench and Vilborg Jonsdottir helped out with six points, seven rebounds and four assists.

Minot State shared the ball well in Thursday's game, racking up 15 assists on 20 made field goals. Jonsdottir's four assists paced the Beavers and Jaime Skeggs also helped out with four assists of her own.
 

Minot State forced 18 Minnesota State Moorhead turnovers while committing 11 themselves in Thursday's game. The Beavers turned those takeaways into 16 points on the other end of the floor. Lorelei McIver's three steals led the way for Minot State.

Coach's Comments
"What a gritty and gutsy effort we had tonight," Minot State head coach Mike Brandt said. "Moorhead is the best rebounding team in the conference and around 35th in the country. We challenged our players to win that battle and we nearly did (34-33). We missed a few open layups and gave away too many free throws to be able to win.

"Hopefully, we can maintain that effort and hit a few more shots for this three-game homestand!"

How It Happened

Minot State struggled out of the gate, falling behind 15-9 at the end of the first quarter.

Minot State then started off the second quarter by going on a 6-0 run, highlighted by a three from Wacha, to tie the game at 15. Minnesota State Moorhead then took control, putting the Beavers at a 27-20 disadvantage heading into halftime.

After intermission, Minot State cut its deficit to 40-34 before going on a 6-0 run, punctuated by a basket from Jonsdottir, to tie things up at 40 with 58 seconds to go in the third. The Beavers could not advance their rally further as the Dragons took a 42-40 lead into the fourth quarter. Minot State took advantage of six Minnesota State Moorhead turnovers in the quarter, scoring eight points off of takeaways.

Minot State could not pull any closer in the fourth, losing by a final of 56-52. Minot State took advantage of its opportunities in the post, scoring six of its 12 points in the paint.

Game Notes

» The Beavers put on a passing clinic, recording an assist on 75 percent of made field goals.
» Sydney Gustavsson and Ashley Wacha carried the load for the Beavers, accounting for 62 percent their points.
» The Minot State defense forced 18 turnovers.
» Minot State cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 12 offensive boards in the game.
» Sydney Gustavsson led the Beavers with a game-high 25 points.
» Minot State got a team-high eight rebounds from Sydney Gustavsson.

This article was created using technology provided by Data Skrive.