MOORHEAD, Minn. - The Minnesota State University Moorhead women's basketball nearly doubled the total rebounds that the Minot state Beavers had in the Dragons' 77-55 win on Monday night, as junior Betsy Dickson led the home team with nine of the team's 54 rebounds.

The Dragons had 34 rebounds on defense, more than the Beavers had in the entire game as they collected only 29. Dickson led the team with four of her boards on offensive and was also among five Dragons to score in double figures, tallying 10 points. Freshman Kaycee Charette had eight boards in her Dragons debut, and also added nine points to the MSUM total.

Sophomore Angie Jetvig led the Dragons on offense as she connected on all three attempts behind the three-point line, scoring 15 total points. She added seven rebounds, all coming on defense. Sophomore Mara Paulson tallied 12 points in her first game as a Dragon. The 2008-09 season leaders, seniors Alison Nash-Gerlach and Meghan Rettke combined for 24 points and 13 rebounds.

After the Dragons took an early 10-5 lead the Beavers made a comeback on a steal by Caroline Folven who dished the ball to Sam Medcalf to cut the lead to two. Folven then tied the game on the Beavers' next possession on a lay-up.

Halfway through the first, the Dragons began to put some distance between them and their opponents as they went on a 18-2 run after being tied at 17 with 9:33 on the clock. Dickson put the Dragons up two before Nash-Gerlach put the Dragons up five at 6:42. Nash-Gerlach tipped in a rebound and was fouled to convert the three-point play.

In the Dragons' next possession, Dickson hit a three that was followed by back-to-back jumpers by Meghan Rettke before back-to-back threes came from Charette and Jetvig to cap the 18-2 run, leading the game 35-19 with two minutes left before intermission.

Minot State began to cut the Dragons lead as they scored seven in the final 90 seconds of the half to trail by nine at intermission.

As the second half began, the Beavers climbed back to within five points of the Dragons' lead but could not come back. The Dragons had another huge run, 13-0, that started and ended with scores by Jetvig.

This game marks the sixth consecutive year that Head Coach Karla Nelson has led her team to a win in the team's regular season opener. The Dragons will face the No. 23 Hillsdale Chargers (Mich.) at 1 p.m. in Marshall, Minn. at the Southwest Minnesota State Basketball Classic.