ST. CLOUD, Minn. (Halenbeck Hall) -- Another scoring duo for Bemidji State University men's basketball led the team to an 87-67 win Saturday afternoon at St. Cloud State University to complete a weekend sweep. Seniors Derek Thompson and Nick Wagner combined for 50 points to move the Beavers to 4-8 overall and 3-7 in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.

Wagner led both teams with 30 points, two shy of his career-high, with eight 3-pointers, which ties a career-high set in November 2019. Thompson added 20 points, his second straight game with at least 20 and fourth overall on the season. Junior guard Mohamed Kone recorded 12 rebounds to lead all players, his second straight game with at least 10 and fourth of the season.

The Beavers jumped ahead in the first half shooting 58.1 percent from the floor and 8-of-17 from beyond the arc before finishing the game 47.3 percent from the field with 15 total 3-pointers. Kone helped BSU dominate on the boards, outrebounding SCSU 45-29, which led to 16 second-chance points compared to five for the Huskies.

The long ball was present early to help Bemidji State build its lead as four of the team's first five field goals came from 3-point range. Wagner snapped a 2-2 tie with his first of eight 3-pointers in the game before hitting another for an 8-4 lead. Senior guards Tyler Behrendt and Griffin Chase each added their first 3-pointers to extend the BSU lead to 10, 14-4, less than five minutes into the game.

The Huskies fought back to tie the game at 20-20 before Chase hit another 3-pointer to give BSU its final lead of the game. The Beavers hit four 3-pointers over the final 11 minutes of the first half and shot 10-of-17 from the field over that span to take a 10-point, 46-36 lead into halftime.

The Beavers' lead never got below six points in the second half thanks to 3-point shooting. Wagner answered a Huskies 3-pointer followed by another from Behrendt to extend the lead back to double-digits. BSU pulled away for good with 9:21 to play as another Wagner 3-pointer sparked a 15-0 run. The Beavers held the Huskies 0-of-5 from the field with two turnovers to take a 77-54 lead with 6:38 to play.

Bemidji State will head home to host a four-game homestand to wrap up the regular season, beginning Feb. 12-13 against the University of Minnesota Duluth.

For more information on the Bemidji State athletic programs, tickets or schedules, visit BSUBeavers.com, follow the Beavers on Twitter (@BSUBeavers), or like them on Facebook (facebook.com/BSUBeavers).

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 Western Collegiate Hockey Association, while its 13 NCAA Division II programs hold membership in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC).

--bsu--