Alex Eisen/MDN Minot State junior Calli Delsman takes a jump shot in the first half against Northern State inside the Minot State Dome.

After the first two quarters were decided by a point, Northern State outscored Minot State by 20 points in the third quarter to pull away for good.

The Wolves (7-3, 3-1 NSIC) used that sizeable surge to win their fifth straight game, knocking off the Beavers (3-5, 0-4 NSIC) by a final score of 65-46.

Minot State has now lost four games in a row.

“The third quarter has kind of been our Achilles’ Heel this year,” MSU assistant coach Taylor Henningsgard said. “It’s definitely something we have to take a look at moving forward. I don’t think there is a magical formula to it by any means, but get back and look at the tape. Start from within and work itself out.”

A slow start to the contest saw the Beavers crawl out to a 6-0 lead. They held the Wolves scoreless for nearly five minutes before Avery Terwilliger knocked down a 3-pointer.

Nonetheless, Northern State still led 12-11 after the first quarter with MSU forwards Haley Hildenbrand and Mollie Wilson both picking up two fouls. They each had three fouls going into halftime.

Not ideal with the Wolves’ top scorer this season being sophomore forward Lexi Wadsworth (13.8 points per game). But the Beavers held their ground, holding Wadsworth to a single point in the first half.

MSU’s leading scorer this season, Mariah Payne (18.3 points per game), fell down to the hardwood after running into a screen with a minute left in the first half. She was back on the court after the halftime intermission.

The Beavers trailed by two points at halftime, 27-25, after Bethany Theodore missed a free throw to complete a possible three-point play.

“It was a tight first half,” said Delsman, who finished with a team-high 11 points. “Our defense leads to our offense. So, going back to the third quarter, when we don’t play well on defense, it’s hard for us to keep going on offense.”

A pair of 3-pointers and two three-point plays sparked a rapid 12-2 Wolves’ run to open the second half.

“That’s tough to come back from, sometimes,” Henningsgard said. “Take that (run) away, and you never know what the game is like after that.”

Northern State outscored MSU 31-11 in the third quarter. The lopsided frame was capped by a turnaround shot in the post made by NSU center Sara Tvedt.

“We can’t keep letting the third quarter get the best of us,” Delsman said. “That’s been our biggest issue so far.”

MSU outscored NSU for the first time in the fourth quarter, 10-7. The Beavers also shot better from the field in the game (35.2% to 34.4%).

The Wolves went 10-for-28 on 3-pointers. NSU had three players in double figures: Tvedt (17), Terwilliger (13) and Brianna Kusler (10).

Wadsworth was held to three points. Payne finished with seven points.

“Sometimes it’s nice just to put something in the past,” Henningsgard said. “Sometimes you have games when it just didn’t go your way or games you want to forget. I think the second half of this one is one of those games.”

The Beavers welcome the No. 24-ranked Minnesota State Moorhead Dragons to the MSU Dome at 3:30 p.m. this afternoon. Minot State has lost 10 straight games against Moorhead dating back to 2014.

Alex Eisen covers Minot State athletics, the Minot Minotauros and high school sports. Follow him on Twitter @AEisen13.