Bulldogs' Stromme gets 300th win against Bemidji State

I first started at the Bemidji (Minn.) Pioneer as an intern in the summer of 1996. That would begin six years as a news reporter, sports reporter and copy editor for a small, six-day-per-week daily newspaper in northern Minnesota. I wrote a large range of stories from multiple beats, to features to sports, my favorite being the coverage of the Red Lake Reservation High School basketball team named the Warriors. Here is a collection of my stories from my time at the Pioneer.

Jan. 28, 1999

By Devlyn Brooks

The Bemidji State women's basketball team made Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference history Wednesday, but probably not in a way they wished.

The Beavers fell 75-65 to Minnesota-Duluth, earning Bulldog coach Karen Stromme her 300th career win -- all at UMD.

Although the outcome was better looking than their last outing at home, the Beavers still didn't play well enough break out of their four-game losing streak.

The Beavers played the conference-leading Bulldogs fairly evenly for the first 10 minutes of the contest, but UMD soon capitalized on BSU's 18 first half turnovers giving them a 17-point lead at half.

However, as UMD's Stromme said, the game was almost a game of two halves as the Beavers played much better second half defense and outscored the Bulldogs by seven to keep the Bulldogs on the ropes the entire game.

The game's deciding factor was definitely BSU's 34 turnovers as every time they would post a run they would throw a ball away or dribble one of a foot. They just couldn't hold any momentum.

"We just had way too many turnovers. The turnovers have really been the death of us (lately)," BSU coach Doreen Zierer said. "We just didn't take care of the ball."

The loss was the fourth straight for the Beavers, who have struggled since the loss of point guard Jen Ohme to a broken knee cap.

The Beavers have tried to put Ohme's injury to the back of their minds, but the apparent lack of a team leader hasn't been easy to forget.

"These are the same players on the floor as when we won (the Orlando Magic tournament) in Florida (in December)," Zierer said. "After Jen got hurt we told them they'd all have to give a little more. But we can't seem to put five players on the floor at once that can get it done."

UMD's Stromme said she could see the difference the lack of Ohme's presence made.

"We weren't glad (she was hurt) because you want to beat a team on its best night," she said, "but I do think (her absence) makes a difference."

Erin Walker continued to lead the Beavers in scoring with 26 on 8-of-15 shooting from the field and 4-of-8 shooting from three-point land.

"It's hard to believe you can shoot 62 percent from the field, 58 percent from behind the three-point line and 78 percent from the free throw line and still lose the game," Zierer said.