MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (Target Center) - The Bemidji State University men’s basketball team traveled to Minneapolis, Minn. to take on the North Dakota Fighting Sioux at the friendly confines of the Target Center. A freezing shooting display of 32 percent by the Beavers allowed the Fighting Sioux to extend its win streak to a season long ten games with the 70-52 win.

In a game that saw just three lead changes and zero tie scores the University of North Dakota dominated much of the stat column as the Fighting Sioux outscored the Beavers 34-to-22 in the paint, 20-to-7 on points off turnovers and 10-to-0 on fast break points to help UND secure a 18-point victory.

For the third time this season Brady Fairbanks (Fr., F, Bena, Minn.) led the Beavers in scoring as he netted 16 points on 5-of-8 shooting and a perfect 4-of-4 from the free throw line. Kyle Scott (Jr., G, Phoenix, Ariz.) was the only other BSU player to join Fairbanks in double-figures as he reached double-digits for the second time this season with 10 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the field. The five field goals was a season-high for Scott. Alex Smith (Jr., F/C, Miami, Fla.) chipped in with eight points and grabbed a team high nine rebounds with two blocked shots.

Emmanuel Little led a trio of Fighting Sioux in double-figures netting a game-high 18 points making good on 8-of-15 from the field and adding a game high 11 rebounds for the lone double-double performance of the game. Travis Bledsoe added 15 points while O.J. Harrison added 11 points in the win. Little’s 11 rebound performance help the Fighting Sioux gain a 10 rebound advantage of BSU (40-30) in the contest.

The Beavers jumped out of the blocks quickly as Arron Evans (Sr., G, Minneapolis, Minn.) gave the Beavers a 3-0 lead just :31 seconds into the game on a three-pointer assisted by Scott. Fairbanks answered Evans 2:23 seconds later as he knocked down a three to give the Beavers a 6-2 advantage. UND took control of the game when the Fighting Sioux went on a 18-6 run to push its lead to 20-12 with 5:56 remaining in the contest. O.J. Harrison and Travis Bledsoe each netted five points during the run to help the Fighting Sioux take its largest lead of the contest. \

Before the half was over North Dakota pushed its lead to as large as nine points at 28-19 with :40 seconds remaining. The Beavers were able to clamp down on the defensive end and close the half on a 4-0 run on a couple free-throws by Fairbanks and a last second layup to beat the buzzer by Scott to close the Beavers deficit to five points (28-23) heading into the break.

The teams came out of the halftime break trading baskets and with 18:07 remaining in the contest the Beavers found themselves down by just four points off a Kyle Scott layup. The teams continued to go back and forth until the 16:56 mark of the second half with the Beavers down by just four points (35-31).

The Fighting Sioux went on a 10-2 run to push its lead to 45-33 its largest of the night finished off by a O.J. Harrison fast break dunk. BSU went on a little run of its own to cut the UND lead to seven points 47-40 with just 11:03 left in the game. The teams continued to trade baskets but seven points was as close as the Beavers were able to get as North Dakota pushed its lead to 18 points by games end at 70-52.

North Dakota outshot the Beavers .446 (25-56) to .321 (17-53) in the game and .933 (14-15) to .636 (14-22) from the free throw line. The Beavers committed five 17 to turnovers while the Fighting Sioux only turned the ball over 12 times in the contest.

The loss for the Beavers drop them to 3-9 on the season and 10-28 all-time versus North Dakota. The Fighting Sioux extend its win streak to 10 games and improve to 10-3 with the win over the Beavers.

Bemidji State will next be in action on Wednesday, Jan. 2, as they will open up the New Year at home in its first ever meeting with the Dickinson State Blue Hawks from the BSU Gymnasium. Game time is set for 7:00 p.m.

Bemidji State University, located in Bemidji, Minn., is an NCAA Division II institution and a member of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC).

--beavers--