Jan. 13th, 2007 -Aberdeen, S.D.	1st	2nd	Final	Records
Bemidji State	32	36	68	7-7, 4-3 NSIC
#22 Northern State	45	39	84	13-4, 6-2 NSIC

Becker shot 11-of-13 from the field on her way to 26 points

Wolves Pounce on Beavers, 84-68

January 13, 2007
ABERDEEN, S.D. –The Northern State Wolves (13-4, 6-2 NSIC) dominated Bemidji State (7-7, 4-3 NSIC) Saturday night at Wachs Arena, handing the Beavers their second consecutive NSIC loss while staking a claim for the league title. The Wolves kept NSIC-leading Stephanie Peterson to 10 points, all of which came in the second half, and eight rebounds in the game as they ruled the rebounding margin 46-29. The Wolves came away with a comfortable 84-68 win, led largely by senior Carolin Becker, who shot the lights out in posting 26 points.

The score was knotted up in the early minutes of the game, with both teams shooting well. Northern made their first run at the midpoint of the first half, going on an 8-0 run with five of the points coming from the charity stripe and leading 23-14. They hit the boards hard to gain second looks, totalling 14 second chance points in the first half alone. It wasn't long before the score differential went to double figures, where it would stay until the buzzer, NSU leading 45-32. One of NSU's main reasons for success was in their ability to shut down BSU powerhouse Stephanie Peterson. They kept the NSIC's best scorer without a basket in the first half and the team's top three scorers, all averaging in double figures, to just six points. Northern also got to the free throw line 15 times while BSU had no attempts.

Carolin Becker and Miranda Boepple combined 24 of NSU's first 45 points with Becker shooting 6-for-6 from the field. Noelle had seven first half rebounds. The Wolves had a commanding 27-14 lead on the boards. NSU shot 37.8 percent from the field (14-37) while the Beavers shot 43.3 percent (13-30).

Northern used another quick run shortly after the opening of the second half to go up by 19 points. Jaclyn Arns started the run with a three-pointer and Hall dumped in the next five points as the Wolves went up 57-38. Bemidji looked to pick up the pace of the game and soon narrowed the gap. An Amy Lawson jumper broke the double figure mark at the 4:44 mark. The hurried game continued as the score climbed and Northern worked the clock and sunk their shots. They finished the game with a 12-4 run with 8 points from Becker and took the win 84-68.

The Wolves came up just shy of having three players with a double-double. Becker topped all players with 26 points and 10 rebounds, shooting 11-of-13 from the field. Hall added 19 points and Boepple posted 10, while both players pulled down nine boards on the night. The Wolves shot 50 percent in the second half to set their game total at 43.3 percent (29-67). They connected on 18-of-23 shots from the line for 78.3%. In the most telling statistic, the Wolves continued their dominance on the boards, taking down 46 rebounds to BSU's 29.

The Beavers were led by Kate Bremmer with 17 points from 8-of-11 shooting. Peterson finished the night with 10 points, all in the second half, and eight rebounds. Heidi Matzke also had ten points. Bemidji State shot 43.5 percent from the field (27-62), 40 percent from long range (8-20), and hit all six of their free throw attempts.

The Wolves will continue their home stand next weekend with a Saturday meeting against the University of Mary. The game will be carried live locally on KSFY, the first Northern State basketball game to ever be televised, and will tip-off at 6:00 pm.

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