File photo of Minot State sophomore Maya Vibeto taking a jump shot in the Beavers' home game against Bemidji State University on Thursday, Feb. 5. Nathan Beitler/MDN

The Minot State women’s basketball is in their final stretch of the regular season. With just three more games left in the regular season, the Beavers have just a few more chances to hone their craft. And though they fought hard in their road game against the University of Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles, they ended the game with a 57-62 loss on Thursday night, Feb. 12.

Although Minot State sophomore Jessica Mogen scored the first points of the game with a layup in the paint, the Golden Eagles quickly took the lead and kept it. Through the rest of the first quarter, the Beavers kept within a single possession through the first ten minutes of game time.

The Beavers took their lead back briefly in the beginning of the second quarter with a two point jump shot by junior guard Maya Aguilar, giving them a single-point edge over the Golden Eagles at 12-11. The Beavers defense was unable to hold off the Golden Eagles for long, as they soon retook the lead and kept a slim deficit over Minot. Though both teams remained close on the scoreboard, the Golden Eagles’ offense slowly worked their way from a one-possession lead to a two-possession lead over the Beavers by halftime.

With half of the ball game over, the Beavers were down 26-30.

The third quarter was the Beavers’ best yet, both offensively and defensively. On offense, the Beavers started out with two back to back field goals with a two-point layup from redshirt sophomore Tiyahna Trottier and a three-point shot from Taryn Hamling, also a redshirt sophomore. The two women’s shots put the Beavers back in charge at 31-10, but the Golden Eagles did not give in easily.

The Beavers and the Golden Eagles fought back and forth, changing the lead four times before Minot State took a definitive edge at 38-37. The Beavers kept their lead clear through the end of the third quarter at 42-41, their first end-of-quarter lead on Thursday night.

The fourth quarter saw the Golden Eagles’ offense back on the court with a vengeance. They quickly scored a three-point shot to put them back in the lead and followed it up with two successful free throws. The Beavers scored two free throws of their own, but were still down a singular possession. The teams scored back and forth with the Beavers earning a small lead for a short period of time, but back to back three-point shots gave the Golden Eagles the edge over Minot, ending the game with a score of 57-62.

With their loss on Thursday night, the Beavers fell to a record of 10-16 on the season and a conference record of 7-12. The Beavers have just three more games left in the regular season, and will be back on the road in Moorhead, MN as they take on the Minnesota State University Moorhead Dragons on Saturday, Feb. 14. The Beavers will host their final home game of the season on Saturday, Feb. 21 as they host Northern State University for Senior Day at the MSU Dome.