The first of two meetings with Minot State University this weekend came down to the wire, but the University of Sioux Falls prevailed. The Cougars stuck to their game plan and utilized consistent free-throw shooting and aggressive rebounding on the offensive glass to pull out a 66-62 win Friday night in Minot, N.D. USF moves to 14-2 and Minot drops to 10-9 on the year. The win marks the Cougars' first of the series, however MSU is still up 2-1 all-time.  

Right away fans could see they were in for a great show, as the two teams combined for six lead changes and four ties over the first 10 minutes of play.

Bailey Bouman flexed her deep ball muscles to put three on the board for USF with 11:45 left in the half and give the Cougars a 16-12 lead, but the Beavers were not intimidated. They knocked down four of their next five field goals, including a three point make to not only reclaim the lead, but challenge USF with one of their largest deficits this season. Morgan Klose's free throw capped an 11-0 MSU run to make it 23-16 with 8:00 to play.

The Cougars buckled down on defense, holding MSU to two field goals over the next six minutes, while USF went on a 15-6 run featuring 3-pointers by Laura Johnson, Vanessa Johnson and Holli Aggen. The Cougars 31-26 advantage would be their greatest of the game. They went to the break up, 33-30.

Neither team shot the rock particularly well in the first half. MSU did outshoot USF 40%-37% from the floor, but the Cougars used defense to create offense, as they turned 12 Beaver turnovers in for 11 points.

The second half continued to be a very close and hard fought game. Neither team extended their lead any larger than four points.

USF's shooting didn't improve in the second half, where they converted just 34% of their attempts, while MSU connected at a 50% rate. However, the Cougars continued to attack the Beavers defense and forced their way to the free throw line, where USF went 10-12 (83%), to 3-4 (75%) shooting by MSU.

The Cougars also retained their control on the boards to outrebound the Beavers 21-16 in the second half and 41-36 on the game. USF held a 17-8 advantage on the offensive end.

Jamey Hofer led the way for the Cougars with 15 points, seven rebounds and six assists. She also recorded two blocks and two steals. Alyssa Rushton shot just five field goals tonight, but finished 7-8 at the line to post 13 points and six boards. Laura Johnson had a tough night from the floor where she went 2-8, but she found other ways to contribute, pulling down a game high 10 rebounds. Johnson also chipped in seven points.

USF and Minot will face off again tomorrow in the Minot State Dome at 4p.m.