BEMIDJI, Minn. (BSU Gymnasium) -- The Bemidji State University men’s basketball team was upended
by the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs, 77-41, in its 2007-08 home opener
from the BSU Gymnasium on Tuesday evening.
Minnesota Duluth shot 52.7 percent (29-55) from the field while Bemidji
State shot just 29.1 percent (16-55) from the field the worst the
Beavers have shot from the field this season. The Bulldogs used a 11-2
run in the 6:55 of the first half to push its lead to 11 points at
halftime. The Bulldogs ran away in the second half as they outscored
the Beavers 44-19 en-route to a 36-point victory.
Sergej Baskow
(So., F, Ludwigsburg, Germany) netted his best performance of the
season for the Beavers has he was the lone BSU player to net double
figures as he had 11 points on 5-of-11 shooting from the field. Arron Evans
(Sr., G, Minneapolis, Minn.) had nine points for the Beavers on 3-of-6
shooting and 2-of-3 from behind the arc. Freshman center Jimmy Johnson
(Andover, Minn.) had his best performance of his rookie campaign as he
had seven points and led the Beavers with seven rebounds (4-3).
The
Bulldogs shot a sizzling 45 percent from three-point range (9-20) to
the Beavers 33.3 percent (4-12) in the contest. UMD also outscored the
Beavers 18-to-8 in the paint to help lead the Bulldogs to the win.
Minnesota
Duluth was led by the trio of Brian Sykora, Jordan Nuness and Ryan
Meissner. Sykora had a game-high of 23 points and 10 rebounds for the
games lone double-double performance. Sykora was 11-of-19 from the
field for Minnesota Duluth. Nuness was the Bulldogs deep threat as he
recorded 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting and 3-of-7 from behind the arc.
The third Bulldog in double-figures was Meissner as he had 10 points on
3-of-5 shooting. Meissner also grabbed seven rebounds in the contest
for the Bulldogs.
Bemidji State started
quickly as the Beavers went on a 8-0 run after the Bulldogs went up 2-0
to take a 8-2 lead in a :55 second span. A jumper by Baskow and Alex Smith (Miami, Fla.) followed by a three-pointer by Marques Ramos (Henderson,
Nev.) helped give the Beavers the six point lead. The Beavers lead did
not last long as the Bulldogs rattled off seven straight points to
regain the lead at 9-8. The Beavers jumped back ahead for the last time
of the evening on a three-pointer by Seth Haake (Eden Prairie, Minn.). Minnesota Duluth then went on a 11-2 run to push its lead to its largest of seven points at 20-13.
The
Beavers did not fold as they climbed back into the game by going on a
7-2 run to close the Bulldogs gap to two points (22-20) with 6:55 left
in the half. Minnesota Duluth closed out the half going on a 11-2 run
and pushed its lead to 11-points its largest of the half.
In
the second half the Bulldogs continued their hot shooting performance
as they shot 57.7 percent in the second half (15-26) while the Beavers
shot just 28 percent (7-25) in the final half. The hot shooting allowed
the Bulldogs to out score the Beavers 44-19 in the half and 77-41 in
the game.
The loss drops BSU to 0-3 on the
season while Minnesota Duluth improves to 3-0 overall. The Beavers fall
to 35-80 in the all-time series with the Bulldogs and have lost the
last five games versus UMD. The Beavers are 0-4 since the Bulldogs left
the NSIC.
The Beavers (0-3, 0-0 NSIC) will
next be in action on Nov. 24-25 when they will participate in the
University of Wisconsin-Stout Tournament in Menomonie, Wis. The Beavers
will open up play on Saturday, Nov. 24 in its first ever meeting versus
the University of Puget Sound at 4:00 p.m. and will wrap up play versus
the winner of the UW-Stout and Northland College game on Sunday, Nov.
25. Game times for Nov. 25 is yet to be determined.
Bemidji
State University, located in Bemidji, Minn., is an NCAA Division II
institution and a member of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference
(NSIC).
--beavers--
