2/20/2010 - WOMEN'S BASKETBALL Beavers fall to Warriors 78-67 in final home game

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BEMIDJI, Minn.  -- The Bemidji State University women’s basketball team fell to Winona State University 78-67 in the final home game of the 2009-10 season. Freshman Shannon Thompson (G, Rosemount, Minn.) led BSU with 19 points in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference contest.

“We got good shots off and ran our offense well, but the shots just weren’t falling,” said head coach Mike Curfman. “We didn’t do a good job of getting stops and got down by nine. We did good job of cutting it down to two in the second half, but Winona State is a good team and they made key shots.”

The Beavers (12-12 overall and 6-12 NSIC) held a 13-11 lead with 11:17 remaining in the first half, but WSU (15-10 overall and 10-8 NSIC) tied the game on its next possession and then after a BSU turnover, the Warriors hit a 3-pointer which started a 10-0 run that put the Beavers down 21-13 with 9:40 left. Twelve of the 13 points by the Beavers came from 3-point land, two off the hands of Thompson. The early lead would be the last for the Beavers in the game, as the road team was able to hold off any BSU attempt at a comeback. The Warriors held a 42-33 lead at the half.

BSU did threaten the WSU lead early in the second frame, starting on a 9-2 run to cut the deficit to two at 44-42 with 14:32 remaining in regulation. The Beavers used four points from junior center Colleen McKay (Barnum, Minn.), two from freshman Jessie Althoff (C, Becker, Minn.) and a 3-pointer from Thompson to get back in the game. BSU then stalled out at 42 and the Warriors scored seven unanswered points to regain a nine-point advantage. WSU’s lead reached double-digits for the first time of the half at 54-44 with 11:45 left. Four straight points from the Beavers cut the deficit to six, but the Warriors’ 3-ball continued to hit at opportune times, as two bombs hit and the lead was back to 12. Sophomore Sydney Epema (G, Crookston, Minn.) responded with a 3-pointer of her own to knock the lead back to nine with 8:21 showing on the clock. A 3-pointer by junior guard Anna Hebrink (Austin, Minn.) got BSU within seven at 66-59, then after a WSU bucket, Hebrink responded again with a jumper to keep the Beavers alive. Unfortunately for the home squad, the seven-point deficit was as close as they would get, en route to the 11-point loss. 

The game was the final home contest for senior guard Kim Rosecrans (Crosby, Minn.). She started for BSU, scoring six points on 3-of-5 shooting, while leading the team and tying her career-high in assists with four. She added two steals and played in 19 minutes, which tied her season-high. Thompson was 7-of-11 from the field and 4-of-6 from beyond the arc. Althoff scored 17 points in the game, adding five boards and two assists. She has scored in double-figures a team-high 12 times this season. McKay led the team with nine rebounds. BSU and WSU both hit nine 3-pointers, but the difference was the Warriors attempted 18 and the Beavers shot 29, to BSU’s credit, a lot of those attempts came in the final four minutes in an effort to get back in the game. 
 
The Beavers complete to 2009-10 campaign with two road contests. The first is Feb. 24 at University of Minnesota Duluth starting at 6 p.m. and the finale is Feb. 27 against Wayne State College at 4 p.m.

Bemidji State University, located in Bemidji, Minn., is an NCAA Division II institution and a member of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC).

--bsu--