MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – Central Michigan drained three free throws in the final seconds to sneak past the North Dakota State women's basketball team, 66-65, at McGuirk Arena on Saturday afternoon.

The Bison (6-2) outscored the Chippewas (1-6), 21-10, in the third quarter to steal a 51-49 lead after three quarters of play. NDSU then began the fourth quarter opening up its largest lead of the game, 57-49, after Emily Behnke connected on a layup with 7:26 to play.

The Chippewas battled back trimming the deficit down to two, 65-63, following a layup from Nadège Jean with 1:11 to play. CMU continued to apply pressure after Sydney Harris was fouled with one second to play on a three-point attempt. She went on to hit all three free throws to help the Chippewas steal the 66-65 win.

Elle Evans paced NDSU with a season-high 17 points to go along with a season-best five assists and five rebounds. Behnke notched her first-career double-double with a career-high 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Heaven Hamling also hit double figures in scoring with 11 points.

As a team, NDSU shot 50.0 percent (28-56) from the field and 33.3 percent from the free throw line (5-15). The Bison also netted 44 points in the paint and 21 points off of turnovers.

NDSU will continue its road swing at Northern Iowa on Tuesday night. Tip-off is set for 5:00 p.m. CT