Mankato, Minn.  –  The Minnesota State women's basketball team defeated Minot State on Wednesday evening by the score of 87-73, in opening round play of the NSIC tournament.

With the win, the Mavericks overall record improves to 20-8.

In the second half the Mavericks were down one to the Beavers, 51-50 with 14:06 left in the game, before the Mavericks would start to take control.

After that point, MSU would manage to go on a 20-6 run, to put the Mavericks up, 70-57, with 6:36 left to play in the opening round game.

From that point on, the Mavericks would hold steady to their lead as they would extend it to as much as 20 points at the 2:11 mark in the second half. MSU would finish with a 87-73 victory over MISU.

In the second half the Mavericks outrebounded the Beavers, 20-10, including 10 offensive rebounds for MSU. Which also helped the Purple and Gold outscore the Beavers in second chance points, 12-2.

In the first half it was back and forth affair between the Mavericks and Beavers, as there was 14 lead changes and three ties. MSU's largest lead of the half was six at the 13:26 mark in the first half, whereas MISU's was three, with 4:12 left before the break. Going into halftime, the Mavericks led by one, 38-37 over the Beavers.

Minot State was able to control the paint in the first half, as the Beavers outscored the Mavericks, 24-8, in the paint and in second chance points, 11-0.

MSU shot 37% from the field, compared to MISU shooting 47% in the first half. The Mavericks converted on seven (7-21) three-pointers in the half, while the Beavers hit just one three-pointer in the first frame.

Leading the Mavericks at the break was senior forward Lexie Ulfers who posted a team-leading 11 points, along with two rebounds. Senior guard Ashley Olson recorded nine points, all of which came from beyond the arc and also tallied three boards and two assists. Sophomore guard Sammie Delzotto added six points and three rebounds, while senior guard Aubrey Davis pitched in with five points, three rebounds and two assists.

Overall, in the game MSU shot 42% from the field, while MISU shot a little better with 49%, but the difference came in three-point shooting. The Mavericks nailed 12 three-pointers in the win, while the Beavers converted on just five three's.

In the win, five Mavericks finished the game in double figures, as Ulfers led with 19 points, four rebounds and three blocks. Sophomore guard Britney Scherber added 15 points, four assists and two rebounds, while Olson and Davis each ended the night with 14 points a piece. Olson also converted on four (4-8) three-pointers and added five rebounds and four assists, while Davis posted four assists and four rebounds. Rounding out the five is Delzotto, as she pitched in with 11 points, including three (3-6) three-pointers and three rebounds.

With the win, the Mavericks will advance on to the quarterfinals of the NSIC/Sanford Health Basketball Tournament to take on Minnesota Crookston. The game is slated for a 2:30 p.m. on Saturday in Sioux Falls, S.D. at the Sanford Pentagon.