The Oakland women’s basketball team lost their fourth game in a row after falling to North Dakota State 73-68 at the Bison Sports Arena Thursday.

Freshman guard Elena Popkey finished with 16 points and seven rebounds. Popkey was 4-5 beyond the arc. Junior guard Victoria Lipscomb shot 6-12 with 14 points.

Oakland (8-14, 2-8 Summit) and North Dakota State (9-14, 5-6 Summit) jumped out to a 17-17 tie in the first half.

The Grizzlies were able to extend their lead to four points after a fastbreak layup from freshman guard Annemarie Hamlet.

Hamlet finished the game with 16 points and five rebounds. She was 4-5 three-point shooting.

After two consecutive baskets from senior guard Dani DeGagne, the Bison tied the game at 28-28.

North Dakota State ended the first half on top, 33-32.

Oakland shot 42.4 percent in the first half, better than North Dakota’s 38.9 shooting percentage.

Once again, the young Grizzlies team would be tested in the second half of a close game. Oakland came out strong, keeping things close with a 49-49 tie with 10:26 remaining.

North Dakota State extended its lead to 55-49, but Oakland responded with a 6-0 run to knot it back up at 55 points apiece.

The free throw line turned out to be the deciding factor of the contest as North Dakota State made seven free throws in the game’s final 50 seconds.

Popkey’s three-pointer with seven seconds left in the game wasn’t enough as the Grizzlies came up short, 73-68.

North Dakota State out rebounded Oakland 40-34. The turnover number was almost identical, with NDSU turning over the ball 10 times while Oakland finished with 12 turnovers.

The Grizzlies were 0-7 at the free throw line with all seven attempts coming in the second half. By comparison, the Bison were 15-19 at the line.

Oakland will face South Dakota State at Frost Arena Feb. 9. The women return home to play South Dakota at the O’rena Feb. 14 at 6:30 p.m.

Contact Sports Editor Lindsay Beaver via email at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter @lindsaybeavs