MINNEAPOLIS -- The Bemidji State men’s basketball team gave a strong showing against Division-I Minnesota on Thursday night, leading for most of the first half before the Gophers ran away with an 83-59 exhibition-game victory.
The Beavers controlled the scoreboard early on, jumping out to a 5-2 lead on a three from senior Will Harvey. From there, BSU worked its way to a seven point advantage -- its largest of the night -- at 20-13 on a three from freshman Peyton Dibble.
But after senior Shane White’s layup put BSU ahead 27-24 with four minutes left in the first half, the Gophers started to take over.
Minnesota ended the half on a 14-2 run as Bemidji State mustered just two free throws and zero field goals, resulting in a 38-29 Minnesota lead by the break.
Freshman Jai’Vionne Green opened the second half with a quick three, cutting the deficit to six. The Beavers continued to stick around, hanging within two possessions for the next five minutes. But after a Green jumper made it 48-42 Gophers, the Gophers started pulling away. They grabbed their first double-digit lead at 52-42, and Bemidji State never got it back within striking distance.
Minnesota capped off the night with a late 12-0 run that lasted until Logan Bader connected on a layup with 13 seconds to play.
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Despite leading for most of the first half and holding its own against a Division I opponent, BSU fell 83-59 at the final buzzer.
Green paced the Beavers with 18 points and seven rebounds, while senior Ben Best poured in 12 points and six boards, as well. Harvey finished with nine points as freshman Aage Rovney dished out three assists to lead the team.
Jordan Murphy led all scorers by racking up 22 points for the Gophers, Dupree McBrayer pitched in 18, and Eric Curry tallied 17 points to go along with 14 rebounds.
Bemidji State will return to action at 5:30 p.m. on Nov. 11, tipping off the MIAA/NSIC Classic against Lindenwood in Wisconsin Dells, Wis.
