WAYNE, Neb. (Rice Auditorium) -- The Bemidji State University men’s basketball team got double-digit scoring performances from both Patrick Cassidy (So., F, St. Paul, Minn.) and Jake Lindstrom (Fr., G, Cottage Grove, Minn.) but a 47-point second half would propel the Wayne State College (Neb.) Wildcats past the Beavers Saturday night at the Rice Auditorium, 81-60.

The Beavers led the Wildcats 36-34 after 20 minutes of play, riding a 48-percent shooting effort (13-27), but for the second consecutive contest, the BSU shooting touch would go south during the second half and with the host draining 17-of-23 (.739) including 5-of-7 from beyond the three-point line (.714), the Wildcats quickly took the lead and the deficit mounted too quickly for the Beavers to recover.

Cassidy came off the bench and led the Beavers in scoring for the second straight night as he was 6-of-10 from the floor netting 13 points in 26 minutes of action. Lindstrom added 12 points on 4-of-10 shooting while Brady Fairbanks (So., G, Bena, Minn.) and Seth Haake (Jr., G, Eden Prairie, Minn.) chipped in nine points apiece.

Haake led the Beavers with four rebounds and four assists while Fairbanks had a game-high three steals.

All five Wildcat starters netted double-digit point totals led by David Walters 21 points. Jonathan Thomas added 18 points and grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds for second double-double of the season. Brian Metz, Elijah Miller and Brent Jackman had 12, 11 and 10 points, respectively with Miller leading WSC with seven assists.

Wayne State made good on its first two field goals of the game taking a early 4-0 lead. BSU went on a five point swing of their own as a three pointer by Lindstrom gave BSU a 5-4 lead at the 18:30 mark of the game.

With the score tied at 6-6 for the first time in the game at 17:03 the Beavers went on a 12-5 run pushing its lead to seven points capped off by a Gunther Zajic (Sr., G, Linz, Austria) giving BSU a 18-11 lead with 13:29 remaining in the half. By the five-minute mark, the hosting Wildcats had put together a 15-7 of their own to gain control of the lead, 26-25.

The Beavers closed out the final five minutes of the half outscoring WSC 11-8 to gain a two point advantage heading into the intermission (36-34).

The teams came out of the break trading baskets as there were three tied scores and five lead changes in the first five minutes of the half but with the Beavers holding a one point lead (41-40) with 15:52 left in the game a David Walters three-pointer gave WSC a 43-41 lead for good.

With 11:20 left on the clock, Haake would convert a three-point play to cut the deficit to one point (51-50), but that was as close as the Beavers would get on the night. The Wildcat offense went on a tear and continued to find the bottom of the net, adding to their lead until the final horn sounded to capture their second NSIC victory.

The Wildcats (6-6; 2-3 NSIC) finished the game with a .519 (27-52)-.415 (22-53) shooting edge and a 38-23 rebounding advantage over BSU. WSC also netted 10 more free-throws than did the Beavers (21-to-11).

The Beavers fall to 13-23 all-time versus the Wildcats and are on a two game losing skid to WSC.

Bemidji State (3-9; 2-4 NSIC) will be back in action on Tuesday, Jan. 6 when BSU travels to Dickinson, N.D. for a non-conference match-up with the Dickinson State Blue Hawks at 6 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--