St. Paul, Minn. --- The Minnesota State women's basketball team fell to Concordia-St. Paul on Tuesday night in St. Paul, Minn., 73-64. The second and third quarters really hurt the Mavericks as they were outscored, 41-23, by the Golden Bears.

With the loss, the Mavericks overall record falls to 5-11 overall and 4-8 in NSIC play.

In the first period all nine MSU players that played scored, which helped give the Mavericks a, 21-16, lead over the Golden Bears heading into the second quarter. MSU led as much as seven points in the first, 20-13, over CU.

Early on in the second quarter, MSU was still leading, 24-17, at the 8:46 mark, before momentum swung, as CU went on a, 22-6, which catapulted the Golden Bears to, 39-30, lead with 15 second left before the break. That nine-point lead marked as CU's largest lead of the first half. At halftime, CU led, 39-32, over MSU.

The Mavericks connected on 38% of their shots from the field in the first half, while the Golden Bears ended the half with a 48% field-goal percentage, including five made 3-pointers. MSU's bench outscored CU's 13-4, while CU outrebounded the Mavericks, 24-16, in the half.

Junior guard Sammie Delzotto [Eagan, Minn.] led MSU at the break with seven points, three rebounds and two steals, while sophomore Claire Ziegler [Mankato, Minn.] was right behind with six points and two rebounds.

In the third quarter, the Golden Bears controlled the pace, as they took their first double-digit lead two minutes into the second half, 46-35. CU's built its lead to as much as 14 at 3:14 mark of the third quarter, 55-41. Heading into the fourth and final quarter, the Golden Bears led, 57-45, over the Mavericks.

Momentum shifted again in the game, as MSU began the fourth quarter on a 10-0 run to trim CU's lead down to two, 57-55, with 5:35 left to play. Freshman guard Taylor Paulsrud [Rogers, Minn.] sparked the run for the Mavericks, as she scored of her eight her 12 points during the run, including two three-pointers.

However, MSU's momentum was quickly silenced by the Golden Bears, as they scored on their next two offensive possessions to give them a seven-point, 62-55, lead with 4:52 left in regulation. From that point on, MSU was never able to get within four points, as CU won the game over MSU, 73-64.

MSU was able to make a run on CU's lead in the fourth quarter because it outscored the Golden Bears 12-0 in points off turnovers and 6-0 in second chance points.

The Mavericks finished the game with a 33% field-goal percentage and converted on five 3-pointers (5-16), while the Golden Bears connected on 42% of its shots and drained nine 3-pointers (9-17). MSU's bench played a key role in the game as it outscored CU's bench, 38-4.

Paulsrud led MSU with a team-high 12 points, while sophomore guard Madison Lee [Coon Rapids, Minn.] added 11 points, six rebounds and shot 6-of-8 from the free throw line. Ziegler tallied 10 points of her own, along with five rebounds, three blocks and two steals. Junior forward Karina Schroeder [Lake Crystal, Minn.] chipped in nine points and four rebounds off the bench.

MSU will return to action this weekend, as it will travel west to take on Southwest Minnesota State and Sioux Falls. The Mavericks will first take on SMSU on Friday at 6:00 p.m. in Marshall, Minn., before squaring off with USF on Saturday at 4:00 p.m. in Sioux Falls, S.D.