BEMIDJI, MN- The Lakehead women’s basketball team was defeated 97-61 on Thursday evening by the Bemidji State Beavers. The Thunderwolves trailed 47-34 at halftime, but could not contain the Beavers who went off in the second half, building a healthy 20 lead early in the second frame to coast to victory.
Lakehead did manage to disrupt Bemidji somewhat with some full court pressure, but could not manage to come up with enough offensive production to keep pace with the Beavers attack, which struck often from long range and whose defense allowed few second chances. Final field goal percentages were Lakehead 33, Bemidji 49. Both team shot the ball well from the charity stripe (Lakehead 14-17, BSU 21-25), but the difference was glaring from beyond the arc, where Lakehead was a paltry 5-21 compared to the Beavers’ 8-17. Bemidji also out-rebounded Lakehead 48-33.
Lakehead’s leading scorer was Carolyn Fragale with 15 points and four assists, while veteran Lindsay Druery battle through continuous double team coverage to finish with 10 points and 5 rebounds.
Bemidji’s Kate Warmack had 18 points and 9 rebounds while point guard Shannon Thompson had 14 points, 9 helpers and 7 steals. All of the Beavers’ 13- woman roster scored during the blowout, which was their home opener.
Jon Kreiner saw some positives despite the lopsided outcome. “The game was back and forth for the first 16 minutes with Druery scoring at will and Fragale hitting big shots. Then Bemidji went on a run to go up 13 at the half with some half court pressure. Bemidji effectively kept the ball out our posts hands with a zone press and we struggled to hit the outside shot. We really got hurt on the boards and in transition but it was the best that Lacey McNulty’s looked this year which is a good sign”.
The women head to North Dakota tomorrow for a Weekend doubleheader versus the Minot State Beavers (Friday and Saturday) Webcast for Minot State games can be found at: www.msubeavers.com/ index.aspx?path=wbball