BISMARCK, N.D. -- The Bemidji State men’s basketball team wasn’t real interested in letting U-Mary hang around on Friday night.
The Beavers outscored the Marauders 40-19 in the second half, posting an 82-53 victory in Bismarck, N.D., and tying the program’s largest conference win in over six years.
BSU (11-12, 8-11 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference) got it done with balance and long-range accuracy. Four players hit double-digits in the scoring column, and Bemidji State shot 16-for-29 from the 3-point line for a season-best 55.2 percent.
Augie beat MSU 73-66 tonight. They're the South 5 seed right now, and if 5th-place AU winds up with a better record than the 4th-place Beavs, BSU would be going to Sioux Falls to open the playoffs.
— Micah Friez (@micahfriez) February 15, 2020
Winona State and MSU could also get the 5 and would likely host a No. 4 BSU team.
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The Marauders (11-14, 6-13 NSIC) netted the opening bucket, but it stood as their only lead of the night. Derek Thompson scored the Beavers’ first seven points, and Nick Wagner later drained a triple for a 29-21 advantage through 13 minutes.
U-Mary cut back to 29-28 with the next seven points, but Wagner answered with another three, and BSU never let the lead dwindle so low again.
Bemidji State rattled off a 10-2 run late in the half, good for a 42-34 advantage by the break.
And in the second half, the Beavers took off.
BSU scored 13 straight points over a five-minute stretch, which built the lead to 18 at 56-38 as the Marauders went scoreless.
The Beavers had another extended run in them, which came in a 10-0 burst that Max Bjorklund started with a four-point play. Logan Bader and Bjorklund had steals on the next two defensive possessions, setting up Thompson and Wagner to sink 3-pointers for a 80-49 advantage.
The final four minutes were a formality, and Bemidji State ultimately turned in its best defensive showing within NSIC play of the season. Their 53 points allowed is the fewest since holding U-Mary to 47 nearly a year ago to the day (Feb. 15, 2019).
Bjorklund and Thompson shared the team lead of 16 points apiece for BSU, while Wagner chipped in 14 and Ja Morgan 11.
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Josh Sipes paced the Marauders with 13 points off the bench.
The Beavers wrap up the road trip at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 15, against Minot State in Minot, N.D.
Bemidji State 82, U-Mary 53
BSU 42 40 -- 82
U-M 34 19 -- 53
BEMIDJI STATE (11-12, 8-11 NSIC) -- Bjorklund 16, Thompson 16, Wagner 14, Morgan 11, Bader 9, Landwehr 8, Chase 6, Baumgartner 2, Hart 0, Olizia 0, Senske 0. Totals 26-57, 14-17, 82.
U-MARY (11-14, 6-13 NSIC) -- Sipes 13, White 11, Carr 8, Kreklow 8, Jordan 5, Kaiser 4, Anderson 2, Hellebust 2, Amundson 0, Engg 0, Mayer 0, Tollefson 0, Turner 0. Totals 18-49, 14-16, 53.
