SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Elmen Center) -- The Bemidji State University men’s basketball team suffered their first Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference loss of 2009 on Friday to the host Augustana College Vikings. AC built a 10-point lead with 3:20 remaining and held on for an 82-74 win.

Despite a career-high 25 point performance from forward Patrick Cassidy (So., St. Paul, Minn.), the big difference in the game came on the boards. The Vikings posted 32 rebounds to just 25 for BSU.

Forward Taylor Hall (Fr., Blaine, Minn.) added 10 points, two rebounds and two steals. Seth Haake (Jr., G, Eden Prairie, Minn.) added nine points while Bryce Tesdahl (Fr., G, Crosby, Minn.) led the Beavers with seven rebounds and four assists.

Augustana College had a very balanced scoring attack as six Viking players netted double-figure points led by a game-high 18 from David Foster. Marques Blank netted 15 points while Mike Klepatz had 14 to round out the Vikings top three scorers. Eric Krogman led AC on the boards with seven while Jordan Dalton dished out six assists.

The first half was very evenly contested as there were five tie scores and 15 lead changes during the first 20-minutes. Blank got the Vikings on the board first off a jumper but the lead didn’t last long as Jake Lindstrom (Fr., G, Cottage Grove, Minn.) gave BSU its first lead of the game off a three-pointer with just 55 seconds expired in the half.

Augustana College eventually gained a three point lead (14-11) with 13:42 left in the half but a 14-5 run by the Beavers turned the momentum give BSU it’s largest lead of the game (25-20) with 9:11 left in the first stanza. Four successful free-throw shots followed by a Blank three-pointer catapulted the Vikings back into the lead, 27-25 at the 6:47 mark but a 15-9 run by the Beavers to close out the half gave BSU a four-point halftime lead (40-36).

The second half began with Augustana tying the game for the sixth time (42-42) at the 18:09 mark of the half. BSU regained the lead and held it until Mike Klepatz knocked down a pair of free-throws at 12:21 giving AC the lead for good (53-52).

The Vikings built a 10-point lead with 3:20 remaining, but a three-pointer by Cassidy followed by a pair of free-throws by Haake cut the lead to 77-72. From that point, AC iced the game with a three-pointer and a pair of free-throws.

BSU finished the game shooting 49.1 percent from the field (27-55), 50.0 percent (7-14) from the three-point arc and 72.2 percent from the charity stripe while Augustana was 27-of-57 from the field (.474), 9-of-21 from the arc (.429) and 19-of-22 from the free-throw line (.864).

The Beavers fall to 4-5 all-time versus the Vikings and are on a two game losing skid to AC.

Bemidji State (3-8; 2-3 NSIC) will wrap up its weekend tomorrow evening (Jan. 3) in Wayne, Neb. as the Beavers will play the Wildcats from Wayne State College at 8 p.m. from the Rice Auditorium.

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

--beavers--