Box Score BEMIDJI, Minn. – Not one, not two, but three overtime periods would be needed Saturday for the Minnesota State University Moorhead women to take a 95-93 victory from Bemidji State University. The Dragons, 13-9 and 10-8 in the NSIC, won their seventh straight game over the Beavers, 8-15 and 6-12 in the NSIC.
The Dragon women entered BSU Gymnasium after winning eight of their last nine games and an 84-77 win in Duluth, Minn. Friday night. The Dragon starters huddled together near half-court to share a message seconds before they won the tip-off.
Angie Jetvig took an early 3-point shot for the Dragons that missed but freshman
Taylor Shepard grabbed the offensive rebound and scored for the first Dragon points on the day. A couple of successful 3-point shots in response from the Beavers set an early score of 10-4 in favor of the home team. Poor ball security and shooting from the Dragons allowed the Beavers to go on a 12-4 scoring run over the next six minutes, to set the score at 24-13.
A first half of runs from BSU ended with two minutes remaining in the half as
Haley Thomforde scored her first points of the day, coming as a 3-pointer. On the next Dragons possession,
Marisa Yernatich, usually a 3-point shooter, got physical in the paint and drew a foul to make two free throw shots. A basket from both teams closed out the first half as the Dragons trailed by 11 going into halftime, 37-26.
The first two possessions of the second half were a microcosm of the first half for both teams. The Dragons
Brittany Mayclin missed a 3-point shot while the Beavers Samantha Baldwin converted a shot from behind the arc.
Kaycee Charette knocked down two of the Dragons' early second half threes to put her scoring total at nine. Not only did Charette score from 3-point land but she assisted in them by making a cross-court pass to Yernatich who sank a 3-pointer as the shot clock expired, bringing the Dragons within seven points at 50-43.
Shepard sparked a 12-2 run from the Dragons by converting an old-fashioned three-point play.
Megan Strese sank two free throw attempts to give the Dragons their first lead of the day, coming back from a 16 point deficit at three minutes left in the first half. Back-and-forth scoring ensued over the next four minutes as both teams traded leads each time. Off a missed Beaver free throw, BSU's Shannon Thompson grabbed the rebound and hit a 3-pointer to give the home team a three-point lead. Jetvig took a pass in the post from Mayclin and passed it right back as Mayclin hit a three of her own to tie the game at 65 with six minutes left in the second half.
Five lead changes after three minutes left in the second half set the stage for what would be almost another half of action. Kate Warmack was put on the free throw line to try and tie and take the lead for the Beavers but missed the first shot of a one-and-one opportunity. Thomforde was fouled in the Beavers' attempt to gain the lead late but missed the first shot. Jetvig grabbed the offensive rebound and made one free throw to take a two-point lead after being fouled. With five seconds left, the Beavers Warmack tied the game at 76 and sent play into overtime.
Free throws were the only scoring in the first extra period until 27 seconds left. At that point Strese put in an offensive rebound layup to tie the game at 81 and sent play to yet another overtime. Two overtimes would not be enough to decide a winner, though, as Yernatich went around a Strese screen and tied the game at 86 with a 3-pointer.
The final overtime resulted in the Dragons winning the first tip-off in an overtime period today. With just under two minutes in the game, Ellie Wessling put the Beavers on top by three but would be answered by Jetvig, earning her ninth double double of the season, who hit a 3-pointer off the glass to tie the game at 91. Poised senior Mayclin held the ball with time winding down in the final seconds and scored the winning points off a banked fade away shot. Mayclin's game winning basket set the final score at 95-93.
MSUM finished the game 30-for-71, 42.3%, from the field, 12-for-28, 42.9%, from three, and 23-for-29, 79.3%, from the free throw line. Five Dragons scored in double figures:
Angie Jetvig (23),
Megan Strese (13),
Marisa Yernatich (13),
Taylor Shepard (12) and
Haley Thomforde (10).
BSU shot 32-for-76, 42.1%, from the field, 11-for-28, 39.3%, from three, and 18-for-23, 78.3%, from the free throw line. The Beavers were led in scoring by Ellie Wessling (21) followed by Shannon Thompson (16), Morgan Lee (13), Samantha Baldwin (13) and Kate Warmack (12).
The Dragons finish up a four-game road trip next weekend by traveling to Winona, Minn. on Friday, Feb. 17 followed by a visit to Fayette, Iowa on Saturday, Feb. 18.
Steve d'Eustachio's Stat of the Game: The last time the Dragons women played in a multiple overtime game was in a 75-66 win on Dec. 4, 2009 at Bemidji State.
Dragons Preview Game Notes
