BEMIDJI, Minn.- The No. 15 University of Sioux Falls Women's Basketball team fought tooth-and-nail in an interdivision Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) matchup with Bemidji State, a contest that concluded in a, 73-64, victory for the Cougars, who move to 19-3, 12-3 NSIC on the season.
 
With the win, the Cougars maintain the top spot in the NSIC South, and got help with Minnesota Duluth and UMary, as the Golden Eagles knocked off the Winona State Warriors to put two games between USF and WSU. An overtime victory for UMary has put Wayne State three games behind the Cougars.
 
The Numbers-
Leading the Cougars offensively was none other than NSIC South Preseason Player of the Year, senior Kaely Hummel. The Cherokee, Iowa, native scored a team-high 17 points on the night, including a three-pointer that put Hummel only nine three-pointers away from tying the record for career treys made.
 
Also, in double digits on the night were seniors Mariah Szymanski and Jessie Geer with 13 and 12 points, respectively.
 
Despite being heavily outscored on the charity stripe by the Beavers (22-to-12), the Cougars separated themselves from BSU off turnovers, scoring 20 points off  turnovers compared to the Beavers' six. In total, the Cougars had a plus-nine turnover margin (20-to-11).
 
Game Highlights-
                First Quarter-
- After Bemidji State made it a 6-5 Cougar lead, USF finished the quarter on a 9-0 run.
- The Cougars held the Beavers to five points in the quarter, the lowest score the Cougars allowed in a quarter this season.
- USF was stellar on defense in the opening 10 minutes, holding the Beavers to only 16.7 percent (2-for-12).                 Second Quarter-
- Bemidji State opened the quarter on a 4-2 run, making it a 17-9 USF lead.
- After the 4-2 start by BSU, the Cougars pounced for another 9-0 run, going ahead 26-9.
- With the game at 26-9, both teams went just under two minutes without a score, before Bemidji State broke the slump.                 Third Quarter-
- The Beavers opened their strongest quarter on a 10-2 run.
- BSU finished the quarter on an 8-3 run to get within four of the Cougars.
- The Beavers had an immaculate third quarter, going 8-for-8 from the field, 4-for-4 from three-point range, and 4-for-4 from the charity stripe.                 Fourth Quarter-
- The Cougars opened the fourth quarter on a 13-5 run, which included a trey from both Hummel and Geer
- Szymanski hit a pair of free throws at the 2:37 mark to put USF ahead 16, the largest lead of the game for USF.
- Nine of the Beavers' 21 fourth quarter points came at the charity stripe.  
Next for the Cougars-
The Cougars will now take the night off and get ready for their contest against Minnesota Crookston in Crookston. That game is set for a 3:30 tip-off.