BEMIDJI, Minn. (BSU Gymnasium) -- With just four seconds remaining in regulation and down by one point, 52-51, Jamestown College junior center John Peabody grabbed the Jimmies eighth offensive rebound of the game and put in a layup to spoil Bemidji State University’s season and home opener, 53-52.

The Beavers were led by sophomore point guard Zach Eastman (Chaska, Minn.) who netted a career-high 15 while going a perfect 5-of-5 from three-point range. Sergej Baskow (Jr., Center, Ludwigsburg, Germany) chipped in 10 points to round out the double-figure scoring for the Beavers while grabbing a team-high seven rebounds. Baskow made good on 4-of-8 from the field and was 1-of-1 from the free-throw line.

The Jimmies were led by Bryon Jones who scored 13 points going 4-of-6 from the field and 2-of-4 from the three-point arc. Jacob Kelsey and Evan Savageau contributed 10 points apiece while Peabody grabbed a game-high eight rebounds.

After a quick jumper from James Gibson (Sr., G, Miami, Fla.) to open the game, Bemidji State would watch the Jimmies net five points and eight of the next 10 to jump out to a four-point lead just 4:01 into the contest (8-4).

Bemidji State fought back and netted eight of the next 11 points to regain the lead (12-11) at the 12:01 mark of the half. Eastman sparked the run as he poured in two of his five three-pointers to give BSU its third lead of the game.

The teams continued to trade baskets and the lead but two free-throws by Gunther Zajic (Sr., G, Linz, Austria) gave BSU its largest lead of the game at 22-19 with 7:51 left in the first half.

Jamestown closed out the half on a 15-4 run pushing its lead to eight points (34-26) before the end of the half. BSU made just one field goal in the final 7:51 of the half and was held to just 36-percent from the field (9-25) while Jamestown shot 43.5-percent (10-23) in the half. The Jimmies held the free-throw advantage as they made five more free-throws than the Beavers in the half.

As the teams came out of the break, Jamestown quickly extended its lead to 13 points, 39-26 off a jumper by Evan Savageau and a three-pointer by Jacob Kesley.

The Beavers would keep pace with the Jimmies and used a 14-2 run to trim the lead to 43-42 with 9:16 to play.

The Jimmies pushed its lead back to four (46-42) but a pair of successful free-throws by Brady Fairbanks (So., G, Bena, Minn.) followed by a layup by Seth Haake (Jr., G, Eden Prairie, Minn.) tied the score at 46-46 for the lone tie of the game.

BSU took the lead at 47-46 with 4:43 left in the game but the Jimmies once again made a five point run pushing its lead back to four (51-47) capped off by Byron Jones second three-pointer of the game.

The Beavers battled back and took the lead at 52-51 on what seemed to be the game winning three-point shot by Eastman with 18-seconds left but it proved to be too much time for the Jimmies as Peabody converted on a offensive rebound put back to give Jamestown the 53-52 win.

BSU finished the game with a 12-2 edge in second chance points and used a 9-for-30 effort from the floor during the second half to complete the game 18-of-55 (.327). JC was 18-of-48 in the game (.375) and held a 36-34 edge on the glass.

The Jimmies closed the gap in the all-time series with BSU to 25-13 gaining just its sixth win ever at the BSU Gymnasium since their inaugural match up during the 1940 season.

BSU is now 45-42 in season openers and is 32-18 when the lid-lifter is at the BSU Gymnasium.

Bemidji State (0-1; 0-0 NSIC) is back in action on Saturday, Nov. 22 when it travels to Grand Forks, N.D. to battle the University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux. The game is slated for a 2 p.m. start in the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center.

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

--beavers--