WINONA, Minn. — Accustomed to playing in close games all season, the Minot State women’s basketball team had the Winona State Warriors right where it wanted them with just under six minutes to play.

A layup by Calli Delsman – her final basket before fouling out with 14 points – had put the Beavers up a point, 48-47, Wednesday evening on the road in the first round of NSIC Tournament.

Minot State (13-16) couldn’t have asked to be in a better position considering it got rocked by 38 points at the hands of Winona State (15-12) in the regular season. But it wasn’t meant to be, as the Warriors survived and advanced with a 63-57 victory over the Beavers in Winona, Minnesota.

Postseason nerves got the best of both teams in the first half.

Minot State shot 28 percent for a season-low 16 points in the first half. Yet, the Beavers only trailed by four points at the break because Winona State shot 34.6 percent to tie its first half season-low of 20 points.

The Warriors tried to pull away in the third quarter, but MSU kept the deficit manageable after junior Mariah Payne hit a step back 3-pointer in the final seconds, 41-36.

That was the start of a 9-0 run for the Beavers that helped them charge into the lead, 42-41, early into the fourth quarter.

The lead changed hands eight times in the first five minutes of the final frame.

With the game and season on the line, Winona State shot 4-for-5 from the floor and 6-for-7 at the free throw line down the stretch. Kayla Schaefer came through with a pair of clutch 3-pointers to finish with a team-high 16 points.

Payne scored 20 of her game-high 22 points in the second half. Delsman pulled down seven rebounds to go with her 14 points.

MSU outrebounded Winona State, 37-26, but allowed the Warriors to finish with a 47.9 shooting percentage.

MSU seniors Madison Wald (eight points), Whitney Molina (six points), Kari Clement (five points) and Gabby Wilkinson (scoreless) were all held in check in their final collegiate game.

MSU men suffer season-ending loss to Sioux Falls

SIOUX FALLS, SD – The Cougars delivered an opening haymaker that the Minot State men’s basketball team couldn’t recover from.

Sioux Falls (19-10) pounced early on Wednesday and never eased up in the first round of the NSIC Tournament, handing the Beavers (14-18) a 96-51 loss to end their season.

The Cougars gained control by jumping out to a 10-2 lead in the first four minutes of the contest. Sioux Falls’ Aaron Rothermund led the charge, scoring five of those points. The deficit continued to grow as the Beavers shot a mere 10-for-27 (37 percent) from the field.

Senior forward David Akibo tried to keep his team in the mix by scoring 14 first-half points, but Minot State still entered halftime down 44-25.

Sioux Falls kept its foot on the gas in the second half and secured the 96-51 win. The Cougars shot 35-for-63 (55.6 percent) from the field compared to Minot State’s 20-for-62 (32.3 percent) shooting on the night.

Akibo finished with a team-high 16 points and seven boards in his final collegiate game, while sophomore guard Max Cody was the only other Beaver to break double-digit points with 10.

Also finishing their collegiate careers were Liam McRae and Eduardo Gomez, who each scored four points.

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