Mankato, Minn. --- The Minnesota State women's basketball team fell to NSIC North Division leading Northern State on Friday evening at Taylor Center, 74-61. Heading into the fourth quarter the Mavericks and Wolves were all square at 50-50, before NSU outscored MSU in the final period 24-11.

With the loss, MSU's overall record falls to 6-13 and 5-10 in NSIC play.

By the end of the first quarter MSU built a 20-14 advantage over NSU. The Mavericks finished the quarter with a 57% field-goal percentage and was able to hold the Wolves to 31% from the field. MSU drained three 3-pointers and assisted on six of its eight made field-goals in the period. Junior Britney Scherber [Bloomington, Minn.] scored nine first quarter points along with dishing out two assists, while junior Sammie Delzotto [Eagan, Minn.] five points of her own.

The Mavericks began the second quarter on a nice little 10-3 run to help give MSU its largest lead of the game, 30-17, with 6:30 left before halftime. During the run, sophomore Madison Lee [Coon Rapids, Minn.] drained two three-pointers. After that point MSU went cold from the field and scored just one more point to finish out the quarter. NSU trimmed its way back into the game, as it finished the second quarter on a 13-1 run to give MSU just a 31-30 lead at the break.

In the first half, MSU finished shooting 43% from the field and connected on five three-pointers (5-11), while NSU shot 33% from the field and also drained five three-pointers (5-12) in the first half. The Mavericks turned the ball over 11 times in the half, while the Wolves coughed the ball up six times. However, MSU controlled the boards in the half as it built a 22-14 advantage in total rebounds against NSU.

Scherber led the Mavericks at break with nine first-half points and three assists, while sophomore Claire Ziegler [Mankato, Minn.] posted five points, five rebounds and two assists.

In the third quarter NSU took its first lead of the game since the 8:45 mark in the first quarter. The Wolves took a 37-36 lead three minutes into the period before the Mavericks quickly retook their lead. MSU nailed five more three-pointers in the quarter to help give the Mavericks 48-42 lead at the media timeout with 3:20 left to play. Once again though the Wolves closed out the third on a 8-2 run to tie the game up at 50-50 heading into the fourth. Delzotto connected on two more three-pointers in the quarter.

Late in the fourth quarter MSU was only down by two to NSU, 63-61, with a little under three minutes in the game, but that was the closest the Mavericks ever got to the lead the rest of the way. MSU wasn't able to score another point in the game as NSU scored the last 11 points in the game to give the Wolves a 74-61 win over the Mavericks.

MSU concluded the game with a 37% field-goal percentage, while NSU finished slightly better with 41%. Both teams utilized the three ball in the game as the Mavericks connected on 11 three-pointers (11-25) in the loss, which is the second most this season and the Wolves drained nine three's of their own.

Despite having a rebounding advantage of eight at the break for the Mavericks, Northern State ended up grabbing more rebounds in the end as it owned a 39-35 advantage. In the fourth quarter alone, the Wolves outrebounded the Mavericks 14-5 . NSU also got to the free-throw line much more often in the contest, as it finished 17-of-19 from the line, while MSU shot 6-of-9 from the charity stripe. 

Delzotto finished with a team-high 14 points and shot 4-of-9 from beyond the arc, while Scherber ended with 12 points, three assists and two rebounds. Ziegler also tallied double-figures, as she chipped in 11 points, seven rebounds and four assists. 

 
The Mavericks will return to action on Saturday at Taylor Center, as they will play host to MSU Moorhead at 4:00 p.m.

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