BEMIDJI, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Crookston fell 76-64 to Bemidji State University Sat., Dec. 16 at BSU Gymnasium in Bemidji, Minn. The loss for the Golden Eagles is the first against the Beavers since Dec. 19, 2014. Minnesota Crookston is 6-3 in the last nine games against their foes located just 88 miles down U.S. Highway 2.

The Beavers had a big second half as they outscored the Golden Eagles 39-30 in the final 20 minutes. Minnesota Crookston trailed by just three at the break and were knotted up 22-22 after the first quarter. The Golden Eagles shot just 9-of-28 for 32.1 percent in the second half while Bemidji State was 11-of-29 for 37.9 percent from the field.

Minnesota Crookston falls to 1-8 (1-4 NSIC) on the season. Bemidji State improved to 3-6 (2-3 NSIC) with Saturday's win. The Golden Eagles continue to hold the edge in the series during the NCAA Division II era 19-18.

The Golden Eagles looked to 16 points from Isieoma Odor (R-Jr., F, Bloomington, Minn.), who was 6-of-10 from the field. Odor fouled out with over seven minutes remaining in Saturday's game. Caitlin Michaelis (Jr., G, Marshfield, Wis.) added 15 points on 6-of-11 from the field, while Micaela Noga (Sr., G, Parkers Prairie, Minn.) had 13 points, seven rebounds and four assists on the night. Emily Gruber (Sr., F/C, Monticello, Minn.) chipped in eight points and five boards while Abby Guidinger (Fr., G/F, Waukesha, Wis.) notched six points and four rebounds.

Minnesota Crookston was 22-of-58 for 37.9 percent from the field. They continued to struggle from beyond the arc where they shot just 4-of-17 for 23.5 percent. Minnesota Crookston went 16-of-19 for 84.2 percent from the foul line. The Golden Eagles finished with 13 turnovers on the game. They took the rebounding edge 37-35 over Bemidji State led by Noga's seven boards.

BSU looked to 22 points from freshman Brooklyn Bachmann on 8-of-14 from the field. Bachmann added seven rebounds. Sydney Arrington chipped in 12 points, as did Sydney Zerr, who was 4-of-5 from beyond the arc. Mikayla Larson added 11 points and six rebounds, while Sierra Senske came off the bench for 10 points and four rebounds.

Bemidji State was 26-of-60 for 43.3 percent from the field. They went 7-of-19 for 36.8 percent from behind the three-point line and 17-of-19 for 89.5 percent from the charity stripe.

Bemidji State got out to an early 8-5 advantage on Minnesota Crookston following a bucket inside from Arrington. The Golden Eagles came back with a 7-0 run to make it 12-8. The scoring streak was guided by five points from Odor. The Beavers would pull back within 14-13 after a trey from Zerr. Minnesota Crookston countered with a 4-0 run with layups from Noga and Michaelis to make it 18-15. Bemidji State closed the first quarter on a 7-4 run as they knotted the score up 22-22 following a basket from Bachmann.

The Golden Eagles took the lead back 24-22 with an Odor bucket to open up the second quarter. Emma Rappe responded with a triple for the Beavers to quickly give BSU a 25-24 advantage.  BSU moved their lead to 27-24 with a pair of free throws from Rappe. The Golden Eagles countered with a 3-0 run with a pair of free throws from Odor and a free throw from Noga to tie the game up 27-27 with 6:09 left in the second period. Bemidji State took the lead back with an 8-0 run guided by six points from Bachmann to make it 35-27. The Golden Eagles ended a 7:57 streak without a field goal as Noga hit a layup to cut the deficit to 35-29. Guidinger built on the mini-run with a basket to bring Minnesota Crookston within 35-31. Bemidji State extended their lead to 37-31 with a jumper from Arrington. However, the Golden Eagles closed out the second quarter with an old-fashioned three-point play from Noga to pull within 37-34 going into the break.

Minnesota Crookston looked to Odor with 11 points on 4-of-7 from the field. Noga chipped in 10 points on 4-of-9 from the field with five rebounds and three assists to add to an impressive first half. Michaelis added seven points. The Golden Eagles shot 13-of-30 for 43.3 percent from the field. They were 2-of-8 for 25.0 percent from beyond the arc and 6-of-8 for 75.0 percent from the foul line.

Bemidji State looked to an impressive 16 points from Bachmann on 7-of-9 from the field. Arrington added six points, while Zerr came off the bench for six points. BSU shot 15-of-31 from the field for 48.4 percent. The Beavers were 4-of-12 for 33.3 percent from behind the three-point line and 3-of-3 from the charity stripe.

Minnesota Crookston controlled the rebounding edge 20-14 in the first half with seven offensive boards.

The Golden Eagles knotted the game up 37-37 early in the third quarter following an old-fashioned three-point play from Odor. She made it a 5-0 run for Minnesota Crookston with a basket to put Minnesota Crookston on top 39-37. From that point it would be all Beavers as they went on a 17-6 run to end the quarter as they went into the quarter break with their biggest lead of the game to that point at 54-45. Bemidji State was led on the run by a balanced attack.

The Beavers extended their lead to 56-45 early in the fourth quarter as Senske nailed a pair of free throws. Michaelis pulled Minnesota Crookston back within 56-48 with a triple.  BSU responded with a basket from Senske and a trey from Zerr to extend the lead to 61-48. Minnesota Crookston responded with a 4-0 run using a bucket from Michaelis and a pair of free throws from Gruber to pull within 61-52.

Odor fouled out of the game for Minnesota Crookston with over seven minutes remaining in the game. Lindsey Weber (Jr., G/F, Delafield, Wis.) got the lead down to 63-54 with a layup with six minutes remaining in the contest. However, Arrington responded with a jumper to push the lead back out to 65-54. A Mikayla Larson triple pushed the BSU lead out to 68-54 with 4:16 left in the game.

Minnesota Crookston made a late 8-0 charge to pull within 68-62 with 2:18 remaining on a pair of Gruber free throws as they did not give in after the Beavers pushed the lead out to 14. Arrington stopped the run with a jumper for the Beavers to make it 70-63. Bemidji State would be able to hold off Minnesota Crookston down the stretch as they took the 76-64 win.

The Golden Eagles return to action Dec. 30 at 1:30 p.m. against Winona State University at Lysaker Gymnasium.