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BEMIDJI -- There was no mystery as to who was getting the ball to open the second quarter on Tuesday.
Brooklyn Bachmann, a fifth-year senior on the Bemidji State women’s basketball team, sat at 998 career points in the huddle. So Bachmann came out, won positioning in the post, and scored on a move you can tell she’s practiced a thousand times.
“It was an intentional play to get her an iso inside. She made it look easy,” head coach Chelsea DeVille said. “It was a great opportunity out of that timeout to really let her shine. That was fun.”
With a smooth finish on the right block, Bachmann became the 21st member of the program’s 1,000 Point Club and the first addition since 2017.
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— Bemidji State WBB (@BSUBeaversWBB) November 17, 2021
But more than two points during a 79-46 win over Valley City State inside the BSU Gymnasium, Bachmann’s score was a celebration of her efforts for a program that rebuilt through her and around her.
“It’s incredible how far we’ve come,” Bachmann said. “Props to DeVille. She recruited good class after good class. (Credit to) everyone for staying and committing to it. … It’s so nice to see the fruit finally come into play.”
Bachmann’s role on the court is far different than it used to be. As a freshman, she was the go-to option by default on a team that didn’t often threaten elsewhere. Four years later, she’s one cog in a wheel that has weapons all around.
And all those other weapons went wild when she reached 1,000.
“Any little win in any capacity -- on or off the court -- for our women, I love to celebrate with them,” DeVille said. “We want to be their hype girls and continue to cheer them on.”
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Bachmann hardly even knew she was as close to the milestone as she was, but once she found out, she never stopped hearing about it.
“I knew I was probably close, but I wasn’t even thinking about it until (Rachael Heittola) pointed it out,” Bachmann said. “Rachael is like the stat queen. … I knew at that point only because I was told by my teammates like 10,000 times.”
As for the scoreboard, there wasn’t much drama once Bachmann’s bucket sparked a 15-0 run. The lead for the Beavers (2-0) was just 16-10 after one, but it quickly leapt to 31-16 behind back-to-back 3-pointers from senior Claire Wolhowe and five quick points out of redshirt freshman Jana Swanson.
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Rumer Flatness even got in on the action, rattling in a three for her first career points at BSU three years after climbing to No. 2 all-time in the Bemidji High School scoring ranks.
The difference stood at 46-25 by halftime, but the margin still had another growth spurt upcoming. The Beavers only allowed five points in the third quarter, leaning on a defensive surge to pull ahead 61-30.
The team spread the wealth in the fourth quarter, rotating in a myriad of bench players and racking up 13 different scorers by game’s end. On a night that belonged to Bachmann, everybody got involved.
“To see where we’ve come from my freshman year to what we’re doing now -- how everyone got minutes and how everyone’s scoring -- it’s really cool,” Bachmann said. “(This milestone) is a big accomplishment for all of us.”
Bachmann finished with just six points, playing limited minutes due to the score. Heittola led the way with 14 points, while Swanson added 11 and Wolhowe nine.
DeVille knows that Bachmann’s presence within the program stretches far more than her 1,000-plus.
“She’s a kid who leads,” DeVille said. “She really takes care of her teammates, especially when they’re coming in as young women. She’s just that nurturer, and we’re very thankful she’s back.”
Bemidji State next hosts Minnesota Morris in a 1 p.m. exhibition on Saturday, Nov. 20.
Bemidji State 79, Valley City State 46
VCSU 10 15 5 16 -- 46
BSU 16 30 15 18 -- 79
VALLEY CITY STATE (2-3) -- Torres 14, Roberts 9, Dieterle 7, Diemert 4, Heap 4, Johnson 3, Nielsen 3, Negen 2. Totals: 17-68 FGs, 5-22 3-pt. FGs, 7-21 FTs.
BEMIDJI STATE (2-0) -- Heittola 14, Swanson 11, Wolhowe 9, Giorgi 8, Yoder 8, Bachmann 6, Zerr 6, Schires 5, Flatness 3, Wenner 3, Majewski 2, Pellegrini 2, Suprenand 2. Totals 31-63 FGs, 8-26 3-pt. FGs, 9-18 FTs.
