ST. PAUL, Minn. (Gangelhoff Center) -- Bemidji State University men's basketball dominated the rebound margin and second-chance points to overcome a first-half deficit Saturday afternoon, but saw an eight-point, second-half lead slip away during a 98-90 overtime loss at Concordia University-St. Paul. The Beavers drop to 6-9 overall and 3-8 in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference as they allowed their opponent to shoot over 50 percent for just the fourth time this season.

The Beavers won the battle on the boards, 48-37, including 25 offensive rebounds compared to just seven for the Golden Bears. BSU converted its offensive rebounds into 22 second-chance points. Senior forward Derek Thompson led BSU in scoring with 22 points, his 21st career game with at least 20 points. Bianco followed with 19 points, including 13 in the second half. Both Bianco and Thompson recorded double-doubles, including a team-high 14 from Bianco and 11 from Thompson.

Concordia-St. Paul controlled the game early as it took a first-half-high eight-point lead, 26-18, at the under 10-minute media timeout. Senior guard Mohamed Kone scored four points of a 6-0 BSU run, setting up a 3-point from senior guard Travis Bianco to bring the Beavers within one, 28-27. Sophomore forward Dalton Albrecht sparked another 6-0 run near the end of the first half and capped it with a dunk around a defender to give the Beavers their first lead of the game, 35-33.

After trailing at halftime, 36-35, senior guard Tyler Behrendt hit his second 3-pointer of the game two minutes into the second half to give the lead back to Bemidji State, 38-36. CSP followed with a layup to tie the game while both teams traded leads until midway through the period. Bianco scored eight points of a 13-2 run to push the Beavers' lead to eight points, 60-52, with 7:38 left in the game.

The Bemidji State lead was chipped away as Concordia-St. Paul went on a 15-7 run over a span of 3:33. CSP went 5-of-6 from the field and 3-of-4 from 3-point range while BSU converted just two of its eight shots during the run facing a tie game, 67-67, with 4:05 to play.

Freshman guard Jayce Lowman followed the run with his third 3-pointer of the game, all in the second half, to give the lead back to BSU. Lowman's score started a 7-2 run for the Beavers, including back-to-back baskets by Thompson to push the lead back to five, 74-69. CSP forced overtime by converting two field goals and two free throws, while a pull-up shot missed for BSU with four seconds to play as a 77-77 tie remained to begin an extra period.

Bemidji State opened overtime with possession but gave away a turnover that led to a Concordia-St. Paul layup for the final lead of the night. CSP went on a 10-2 run over the first 4:40 of overtime and went 9-of-10 from the free throw line to hand BSU its first loss in the series in six games.

The Beavers shot 38.6 percent from the field (34-88), tallying its most field goal attempts in a game since a double overtime game in January 2020, 34.4 percent from beyond the arc (11-32) and 84.6 percent from the free throw line (11-13). The Golden Bears finished the game 53.2 percent from the floor (33-62), 38.5 percent from long range (10-26) and 81.5 percent from the free throw line (22-27).

BSU closes a three-game road trip Jan. 21-22 with a weekend slate against the University of Sioux Falls and Southwest Minnesota State University.

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).

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