MOORHEAD, Minn. – A free throw by Devon Brecke with five seconds left proved to be the difference as Northern State edge the Minnesota State University Moorhead women's basketball team, 60-59 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference action Saturday in Aberdeen, S.D.

MSUM fell to 7-2 overall and 4-2 in the NSIC with the loss, while Northern State improved to 6-3 overall and 4-2 in the league.

The Dragons had three players in double figures, led by sophomore guard Cassidy Thorson with 14 points. Junior guard Morgan Banasik chipped in with 12 points while senior forward Heather Strese had 11 points. Banasik, junior guard Natalie Van Wyhe and junior guard Jessica Hart each had three assists. Van Wyhe led with seven rebounds.

MSUM shot 35.5 percent (22-of-62) for the game, compared to 41.1 percent (23-of-56) for the Wolves. The rebounding battle was even at 38-38.

After falling behind 9-3 four minutes into the game, MSUM stormed back with a 25-4 run over the next 11 minutes to surge into a 28-13 lead with 5:11 left in the first half. Thorson led the run with eight points while Strese had six. Sophomore forward Drew Sannes buried a three-pointer as well.

The Dragons took a 31-24 lead into halftime. Thorson had eight first-half points while Strese had six and Sannes five. MSUM shot 39.4 percent (13-for-33) while the Wolves shot 33.3 percent (9-of-27).

A Van Wyhe layup pushed the MSUM lead to 36-24 just 1:46 into the second half. But a scoreless drought of more than four minutes proved costly for the Dragons as Northern was able to take the lead at 42-41 after three quarters.

The fourth quarter was close the whole way with four ties and seven lead changes. The Dragons led 57-56 after a three by freshman guard Jacky Volkert with 3:06 left. After Northern reclaimed the lead with a three-point play, Banasik scored with 17 seconds left to tie the game at 59-59.

Brecke was fouled with five seconds left and hit 1-of-2 free throws to put Northern State up 60-59. The Dragons had a chance for the game-winning shot but turned the ball over and fell one point short.

Senior forward Savanna Handevidt had eight points and six rebounds for MSUM.

MSUM is off until Jan. 2, 2016 when it plays at Upper Iowa for a 4 p.m. game.

Steve d'Eustachio Stat of the Game: Savanna Handevidt finished with six rebounds tonight ending her streak of four consecutive games with at least 10 boards. The last Dragon to pull down at least 10 rebounds in five straight games was Meghan Rettke who did it in the first five games of the 2008-09 season. Rettke, a junior that season, would get at least 10 rebounds in 15 of the Dragons' 30 games that season (22-8) including her school record setting 22 at Minnesota Crookston on Jan. 17, 2009.