Izzy Moore's big night propels Northern State past Beavers at Sanford Center
· Yahoo Sports
Feb. 12—BEMIDJI — Izzy Moore was a handful on both ends of the floor.
Northern State's senior guard had 15 points and eight boards at the half, giving the Wolves a 10-point lead over the Bemidji State women's basketball team. She wasn't done there, either.
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Moore finished with a game-high 26 points and 11 rebounds. She went 7-for-8 from the free-throw line and 9 of 17 from the field, pushing NSU to a 73-55 win over the Beavers at the Sanford Center.
"She's just that true competitor, and you can see it in the way she rebounds and wants the ball," BSU head coach Chelsea Stoltenberg said. "She's going in there and flying all over the place. She's a competitor and she's really good at what she does. She's great with the ball in her hands. She doesn't panic, so she can score all over the place. You think you have her stopped and you just don't. More impressive is what she does on (the glass) to keep possessions alive for herself and her team."
Bemidji State's (8-15, 5-14 NSIC) losing streak extended to five games. With three NSIC matchups left in the regular season, the Beavers trail Minnesota Crookston (8-17, 7-12 NSIC) for the sixth and final playoff spot in the North Division.
"It's just consistency," Stoltenberg said. "Our starting five has to be consistently better and we just need to compete on every possession better. We have to win all three games. That's just a matter of fact. We've talked about that pressure of every possession and we just have to eat it and make sure all five are doing it."
Bemidji State last played at the Sanford Center on Jan. 10, 2017, against Minnesota Crookston. The Beavers' first game back was part of the 218 Basketball Showcase, pairing prep and college teams for a three-day hoops extravaganza in Bemidji. The Bemidji High School boys and girls basketball teams kicked off Thursday's slate with wins over Grand Rapids.
BSU and BHS will play another quadrupleheader on Saturday, with the Bemidji State women's team hosting Jamestown at 1 p.m. for the first time in NSIC play.
"This is fun. Let's get fundraising so we can clean up the (BSU Gymnasium) because there's just life in a facility like this," Stoltenberg said. "We're not going to play here always, but if we get our facility brighter and more life into it, it just gives you a step to how you play and more joy to it."
Moore powered Northern State to an 8-0 and run and a 14-5 lead with a pair of made free throws and a layup. The Wolves ended the first quarter leading 22-13, and they didn't stop there.
NSU's largest lead in the first half was 15 points. However, Tieryn Plasch made a pair of free throws and Gabby Fineday got a layup to fall in the final three minutes to make it a 10-point game at the half, 37-27.
"The rims are soft as heck," Stoltenberg said with a laugh. "The Globetrotters were dunking all of these rims. These are the softest rims you'll have in the (NSIC). But we just play in so many different facilities that I think our players are used to it. And again, you'd like to not lose a home game in that sense, but this was (fun) to play here."
Plasch and Evyn Eppinga cut the Wolves' lead to five with back-to-back 3-pointers early in the third quarter, but Northern State went on a 10-2 run to go ahead 49-36 with 4:20 left in the third frame.
NSU opened up a 20-point lead late in the fourth quarter, causing both teams to empty their benches. Senior guard Tiffany Liddie led BSU in scoring with 17 points off the bench.
"We talked about it in our meetings, like, hey, if I can get you locked into a couple of things, we can trust you with a longer leash and then we can get you going offensively," Stoltenberg said. "I think she's really been doing that in practice the last couple of weeks. We gave her some more opportunities with her size and her ability to go downhill. I'm impressed and happy to see that out of a kid we know we've had in the hopper all along."
Plasch finished with 16 points and was the only other Beaver in double figures. The biggest statistical discrepancy, though, was on the glass. Northern State outrebounded BSU 46-23.
"Izzy having almost a double-double in the first half is brutal," Stoltenberg said. "It's just a want-to thing. Rebounding is a heart, a want-to and an effort thing. You can't pick and choose which possessions to play the whole game and it takes all five out there."
Northern State , Bemidji State
NSU 22 15 19 17 — 73
BSU 13 14 17 11 — 55
Bemidji State — Liddie 17, Plasch 16, Fineday 8, Eppinga 7, Guenther 4, Weiler 2, Bolte 1. Totals: 18-51 FGs, 5-19 3-pt, 14-21 FTs.
Northern State — Moore 26, Counts 17, Tool 12, Rus 7, Kuyper 7, Carrier 2, Holmberg 2. Totals: 30-63 FGs, 3-14 3-pt, 10-14 FTs.