ST. PAUL, Minn. — Although the Minot State women’s basketball team kept the action close with a few minutes remaining, NSIC foe Concordia-St. Paul eked out an 84-74 victory in Saturday’s matinee.

The Beavers, who are winless in conference play, dropped to 3-9 (0-8 NSIC). The Golden Bears improved to 8-6 (5-3 NSIC).

Minot State’s backcourt provided the bulk of the Beavers’ scoring. MSU senior guard Mariah Payne led all scorers with a career-high 35 points. It’s the fifth most points scored in program history for a single game in the Division II era.

Junior guard Bethany Theodore finished with 14 points. The Beavers shot just 37.7% from the field, but made 7-of-11 (63.6%) 3-point attempts.

Sidney Wentland and Ayla Lemke contributed 21 points apiece for the Golden Bears. Concordia-St. Paul held a 38-24 scoring advantage in the paint.

MSU will host NSIC rival St. Cloud State (8-5, 5-2 NSIC) at 5:30 p.m. on Friday at the MSU Dome.

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