Wayne State 79 Bemidji State 76

Wayne State held on to beat Bemidji State by the score of 79-76 on Friday evening in Wayne.  With the win, Wayne State is now 14-5 on the season and 7-3 in the NSIC.  With the loss, Bemidji State is 10-9 overall and 6-4 in the NSIC.  The Wayne State win combined with a University of Mary loss moves Wayne State into a second place tie with the University of Mary in the NSIC. 

The game was tightly contested throughout.  The first half saw both teams shoot well from the field.  Bemidji State hit 14 of 27 shots for 51.9 percent while Wayne State hit 13 of 29 shots for 44.8 percent.  The first half saw four ties and five lead changes.  Wayne State led by as many as seven points in the first 20 minutes.  However, Bemidji State scored nine points in a row to take a 36-33 lead with just over a minute remaining in the half.  Laquisha Cook responded to hit a three pointer to tie the game at 36 at halftime. 

Both teams traded leads early in the second half.  The 'Cats took a 56-53 lead with just under 13 minutes remaining in the second half, a lead that Wayne State would not give up.  Wayne State continued to build the lead and led by as many as 11 points in the second half.  Bemidji State rallied late to cut the lead to two at 77-75 with eight seconds remaining.  However, Jennifer Yee hit three of four free throws late to secure the 79-76 win for Wayne State. 

Wayne State shot 42.6 percent from the field on the evening hitting 23 of 54 shots.  The 'Cats were 26-35 from the free throw line for 74.3 percent.  Wayne State hit seven three pointers on the evening.  Bemidji State shot 43.3 percent from the field hitting 26 of 60 shots.  The Beavers hit 20 of 29 free throws for 69 percent on the evening.  Bemidji State hit four three pointers on the evening. 

Kylee McGill scored 17 points to lead five players in double figures for Wayne State.  Laquisha Cook scored 16 points and Andrea Schoepf had 13 points.  Jodie Boss and Jennifer Yee scored 12 points apiece for Wayne State.  Jodie Boss had eight rebounds and blocked six shots to lead WSC defensively.  Andrea Schoepf had five assists and Teresa Case added four assists for the 'Cats.  Amy Lawson had 26 points to lead Bemidji State in the loss.  Stephanie Peterson added 18 points and Karlee Simonson had 12 for Bemidji State.

Wayne State will be back in action tomorrow evening when they host Minnesota, Crookston.  Tip off is set for 6 p.m. at Rice Auditorium in Wayne.