The Minot State University (MSU) women’s basketball team went into the half beating Minnesota State University Mankato 38-35, but could not hang on in the second half and fell 95-78 to the Mavericks at home Saturday, January 4, at the MSU Dome.

The Beavers (4-11, 3-5) had three players score in double figures, led by Maya Aguilar, who had 23 points, six rebounds and two steals. Emma Mogen added 16 points and five assists and Sydney Gustavsson chipped in as well with 15 points, seven rebounds and three steals.

The MSU offense was strong from three-point land, pouring in 10 threes on 24 attempts. Aguilar hit 4 treys for the Beavers in the contest.

MSU forced 14 Maverick turnovers. The Beavers turned those takeaways into 17 points on the other end of the floor. Gustavsson’s three steals led the way for MSU.

“I think anyone who has been watching us from the start of the season until now can tell the improvements that we’ve made,” said Beavers head coach Ryan Clark. “We’re down players right now, so we’ve got a bit of a shortened rotation on the bench, so there’s some fatigue from back to back nights, but the girls came out ready and they played hard.”

After falling behind 21-18, MSU went on a 6-0 run with 52 seconds left in the first quarter, culminating in a bucket from Cassidy King, to take a 24-21 lead, a score that would hold for the rest of the period. MSU relied on its three-point shooting in the period, knocking down four shots to account for 12 of its 24 points.

Minnesota State University Mankato rallied to take a 27-26 lead before MSU went on a 6-0 run starting at the 5:34 mark in the second period, highlighted by a bucket from Jessica Mogen, to take a 32-27 lead.

The Mavericks cut into that lead, but the Beavers still enjoyed a 38-35 advantage heading into halftime. MSU was strong from deep in the period, knocking down 2 three-point shots to account for 6 of its 14 points.

Minnesota State University Mankato then took a 59-49 lead following intermission before MSU went on a 5-0 run, punctuated by a three from Aguilar, to trim its deficit to 59-54 with 3:03 to go in the third.

Minnesota State countered and stretched its lead to 71-60 heading into the fourth. MSU played well near the basket, scoring 12 of the 22 points in the paint.

The Lady Beavers could not pull any closer in the fourth, losing by a final of 95-78.

MSU Women 68,

Winona State 61

Sydney Gustavsson, Maya Aguilar and Emma Mogen combined to score 54 of MSU’s 68 total points as the Beavers defeated the Winona State Warriors 68-61 at home Friday, January 3, at the MSU Dome.

The Beavers had three players score in double figures, led by Gustavsson, who had 19 points, nine rebounds and three steals. Aguilar tacked on 18 points and Mogen chipped in as well with 17 points, nine rebounds and two steals.

The MSU offense was very productive from beyond the arc, making 10 threes on 32 attempts. Aguilar was the most prolific shooter for the Beavers, draining four treys in the contest.

MSU’s defense held Winona State to only 34.3 percent shooting from the field, including 29.7 percent from beyond the arc. The Beavers also limited Olivia Gamoke to 4-of-18 shooting in the game.

After falling behind 7-3, MSU went on a 7-0 run with 7:18 left in the first quarter, culminating in a three from Katie Aberle, to take a 10-7 lead. The Beavers then lost some of that lead, but still entered the quarter break with a 16-15 advantage. MSU relied on its three-point shooting in the period, knocking down four shots to account for 12 of the 16 points.

MSU built that first quarter lead to 19-17 before going on an 11-0 run starting at the 8:54 mark in the second period, highlighted by a bucket from Mogen, to increase its lead to 30-17. The Warriors cut into that lead, but the Beavers still enjoyed a 39-34 advantage heading into halftime.

MSU was strong from deep in the period, knocking down four three-point shots to account for 12 of its 23 points.

After intermission, MSU held on to its advantage and owned a 50-46 lead heading into the fourth quarter. The Lady Beavers played well near the basket, scoring 8 of the 11 points in the paint.

Winona State proceeded to take a 51-50 lead before MSU went on a 6-0 run, finished off by Mogen’s jumper, to seize a 56-51 lead with 6:21 to go in the contest.

The Beavers kept expanding the margin and coasted the rest of the way for the 68-61 win. Minot State got up and down the court quickly in the quarter, scoring four fast break points.