FAYETTE, Iowa – The Bemidji State University Men's Basketball team four-game winning streak came to an end after falling 80-87 to Upper Iowa University in its first Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference game of 2023 in Fayette, Iowa, Friday night. Mohamed Kone recorded his first double-double of the season with 19 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Beavers.  
  
The Beavers started the game with Dalton Albrecht winning the tip and John Sutherland scoring on an early jumper. The Peacocks started to pull away but two blocks from RJ Smith he was able to slow down the scoring. UIU extended its lead to nine with 10 minutes left in the half. BSU earned its second lead in the game from three made three pointers in a row from Brayden Williams and then Kone made back-to-back shots. The Beavers and Peacocks went bucket-for-bucket and ended the first half 44-41 in favor of Upper Iowa. 
 
The second half started how the first ended with each team trading baskets. Kone gave the Beavers a four-point lead from the rare four-point play but was not enough to shake the Peacocks who came right back and went into the 10-minute media timeout up four themselves. Kone was sitting at nine rebounds since the final 15 minutes in the game and got his tenth for his first double-double of the season with under two minutes to play and fed Smith for a three pointer to cut the UIU lead to six. With under a minute to play Smith hit another three pointer to cut the lead to three. A goaltending and traveling call put the game away for the Peacocks and earned the 87-80 victory.
      
Kone with his 19 points led the Beavers while Albrecht and Sutherland behind him with 18 points apiece. Kone went 7-for-15 from the field, 4-for-6 from behind the arc and 1-for-1 from the free throw line. The duo in Albrecht and Sutherland scored a majority of their points in the paint except from an Albrecht three pointer. Smith and Williams both knocked down a pair of crucial three points with Williams' coming in the first half and Smith's in the second. Sutherland led BSU in assists with four and Smith and Kone were behind him with three. 
 
Rebounding was tight with Upper Iowa getting a 35-31-point edge. Both teams ending the contest with nine offensive rebounds, Kone and Albrecht each pulled in a pair. Kone had his big rebounding night of the season with 10 to lead the Beavers with Sutherland in second with seven. Smith came away with three big blocks in the game.
    
The Beavers look to bounce back as they travel to Winona State University tomorrow as they tip off at 5:30 p.m. 
   
For more information on the Bemidji State Men's basketball program, follow the Beavers on Twitter (@BSUBeavers), like them on Facebook (facebook.com/BSUBeavers) or sign up for the TXTUpdates from BSUBeavers.com text-messaging system through the "Multimedia" pull down menu on the main page of BSUBeavers.com.   
    
Located on the shore of Lake Bemidji, Bemidji State University sponsors 15 varsity athletic programs with NCAA Division I men's hockey membership in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association 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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