BEMIDJI, Minn. (BSU Gymnasium) – Buoyed by 11 three-pointers and a 70-percent shooting effort, the Bemidji State University men's basketball team earned a 110-61 nonconference victory over Northland College Saturday. Travis Bianco led the way for the Beavers netting 23 points in 19 minutes of action.

The Beavers' 110-point effort mark the team's highest point total since it posted 127 versus Martin Luther Nov. 16, 2019, and is just the seventh time BSU has posted 110 points or more in a game since 1992.

In all, four Beavers complied double-figure points totals, while nine found their way onto the scoresheet. In addition to Bianco, who was 7-of-10 from the floor, including a 5-for-7 night from beyond the three-point arc, Mohamed Kone put up 21 points on 9-of-10 from the field, and John Southerland was 9-of-11 for 14 points and pulled down a team-best nine rebounds. In addition, Dalton Albrecht came off the bench to pour in 15 points and grab seven boards.

The Beavers worked the ball down low early and finished the first half of play shooting 70-percent from the floor (19-27). The Beavers owned a 50-27 lead at the half led by three starters who each logged double-figure point totals. Kone and Bianco, who each netted 14 points, led the charge, while Southerland chipped in 10 points and pulled down a team-best five rebounds.

BSU opened the second half on a 17-5 run over the first five minutes of play, capped by a 9-0 stretch to increase its lead to  70-32.

The Beavers cleared their bench during the second half. Thirteen players saw at least five minutes of action and the BSU reserves led the team on a few of its most efficient stretches.  Late in the second half, Albrecht scored on four consecutive possessions to spark a BSU 15-2 run over 3:35. Jayce Lowman capped the stretch with a three-point field goal to give Bemidji State its biggest lead of the afternoon, 102-50.

BSU finished the afternoon 44-of-61 from the floor, which included an 11-for-18 performance from beyond the arc. BSU also controlled the glass grabbing 41 boards to the Jacks' 16. The lone weakness in the effort Saturday was that BSU was a mere 11-of-20 from the free-throw stripe (.550).

Now 2-0 on the season, Bemidji State will continue play Tuesday when it travels to Crookston, Minn. and Lysaker Gymnasium to open Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play for a 6 p.m. opening tipoff. The Beavers will then travel to St. Petersburg, Fla. to compete in the Eckard Thanksgiving Classic. While on the Florida Gulf Coast, BSU will play Eckard College at noon Nov. 26 before wrapping up the event with a matchup versus University of Tampa at 3 p.m. Nov. 27.

Nestled in Northern Minnesota's wooded region and located on the shore of Lake Bemidji, Bemidji State University sponsors 15 varsity athletic programs with NCAA Division I men's and women's hockey membership in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association and Western Collegiate Hockey Association, respectively, while its 13 NCAA Division II programs hold membership in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC).

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