MOORHEAD, Minn. -- Kate Head scored 10 points and Jaime Skeggs had 10 more, but the Beavers fell to the Minnesota State Moorhead Dragons 57-33 on the road Thursday in the NSIC opener for the Beavers.
Vilborg Jonsdottir added four assists and four steals for Minot State (4-3 overall, 0-1 NSIC).
Minot State's defense held Minnesota State Moorhead to only 19 percent shooting from beyond the arc and 40 percent from the field. The Beavers also limited Natalie Jens to 1-of-7 shooting from downtown in the game. The Dragons did not have much luck cleaning up their misses on the offensive glass either, as they finished with eight offensive rebounds and managed just 11 second-chance points.
Coach's Comments
"I was very surprised in the way we came out offensively - especially after scoring 91 points on Tuesday," Minot State coach Mike Brandt said. "We were not really attacking very effectively.
"College basketball on the road is tough sometimes and we did not bring the toughness!” Minot State's coach added.
How It Happened
Minot State struggled out of the gate, falling behind 7-2 at the end of the first quarter.
Minnesota State Moorhead kept adding to that lead, building a 20-9 advantage before Minot State went on a 5-0 run, highlighted by a bucket from Skeggs, to narrow its deficit to 20-14. Minnesota State Moorhead responded and expanded its lead, leaving the Beavers trailing 24-16 heading into halftime.
Minnesota State Moorhead continued to increase its lead after halftime, building a 35-18 advantage before Minot State went on a 5-0 run, punctuated by a three from Skeggs, to trim its deficit to 35-23 with 3:13 to go in the third. Minnesota State Moorhead countered and stretched its lead to 40-25 heading into the fourth. Minot State played well near the basket, scoring six of its nine points in the paint.
Minot State could not pull any closer in the fourth, losing by a final of 57-33. Minot State took advantage of three Minnesota State Moorhead turnovers in the quarter, scoring five points off of those takeaways.
Game Notes
» The Beavers held the Dragons to only 40 percent shooting from the field.
» The Beavers put on a passing clinic, recording an assist on 67 percent of made baskets.
» Kate Head, Jaime Skeggs, and Emily Srejma combined to account for 76 percent of the Beavers points.
» Minot State played solid perimeter defense, holding Minnesota State Moorhead to 19 percent from three-point land on 21 attempts.
» The Minot State bench made an impact by adding 19 points to its scoring output.
» Kate Head and Jaime Skeggs led the Beavers with 10 points each.
» Minot State got a team-high five rebounds from Lorelei McIver.
