BEMIDJI, Minn. (BSU Gymnasium) -- The senior duo of Travis Bianco and Derek Thompson combined for 39 points Friday night as the Bemidji State University men's basketball team fell to No. 14 Augustana University, 73-69, at BSU Gymnasium. The Beavers fall to 6-12 overall and 3-11 in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.

Bianco led the Beavers with 21 points on 6-of-11 shooting, marking his sixth 20-point game of the season. Thompson added 18 points on 8-of-19 shooting with six rebounds. He moved into third all-time at BSU in scoring, ending the night with 1,477 career points. Thompson surpassed Mac Smith (1997-2001) on the all-time scoring list and trails Smith by two rebounds for second-most in program history.

After a quick 9-5 start by Augustana, Bemidji State bounced back to score 10 straight points, sparked by a 3-pointer from sophomore forward Dalton Albrecht, to take a 15-9 lead. The Vikings slowly chipped away at the Beavers' lead before a string of tied scores lead into halftime, 40-40.

AU struck first with back-to-back 3-pointers to begin the second half while BSU answered back with a pair of its own 3-pointers to tie the game again. Thompson hit another 3-pointer for the Beavers to begin an 8-2 run to grab a 54-50 lead with 13:03 in the game.

Following baskets from both teams, Augustana went on a 13-4 run to pull ahead by six and eventually went up by a game-high seven points, 69-62, with 3:38 to play. BSU forced AU to miss all three of its final field goal attempts and drew two turnovers to pull the game to within two points, 71-69, with 41 seconds to play. The Vikings pulled down an offensive rebound with seven seconds to play and sank two free throws to seal the game.

Bemidji State returns to BSU Gymnasium Saturday, Jan. 29 for a 5:30 p.m. tip-off against Wayne State College.

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

--bsu--