BEMIDJI, Minn. – The Bemidji State University Women's Basketball team opened the new season with a home victory against St. Scholastica by a score of 71-52 Saturday inside the BSU Gym.
This marks the third straight home opening win for the Beavers, having defeated Mayville State, Valley City State and then St. Scholastica this year in the past three home openers.
Sam Pogatchnik paced the Beavers with 14 points, five rebounds, three blocks and two steals. Pogatchnik went 5-9 from the field and 3-3 from downtown. Erin Barrette reached double-figures with 10 points, including a pair of three-pointers. Alyssa Hill added nine points and seven from Amme Sheforgen. Sheforgen and Sydney White led the team in rebounds with six apiece. Alayna Suprenand had three assists. In addition to Pogatchnik's two steals, Sydney White and Sheforgen added two steals apiece.
Bemidji State went 24-59 (40.7) from the field, 10-21 (47.6) from three and 13-21 (61.9) from the foul line.
The Beavers opened the scoring with the first four points as White hit a jumper just over 30 seconds in and Hill added a layup for the 4-0 lead. After St. Scholastica got on the board with a three at the 7:37 mark, Bemidji State held the Saints scoreless for the next five-plus minutes. BSU tallied seven points during that time to stretch the lead to 11-3. Sheforgen, Rachel Koenig, Ashlynne Gunther and Pogatchnik all had points during the run.
St. Scholastica then held the Beavers scoreless the rest of the first quarter and trimmed the deficit to 11-9 entering the second quarter.
Pogatchnik took over to start the second quarter for the Beavers. She hit a triple nine seconds in, hit a jumper a minute later and then dialed long distance again 30 seconds after that to record the first eight points of the quarter for the Beavers. During that time, the lead only moved out to five as the Saints were able to answer the eight points with six of their own.
Midway through the second quarter, a layup by Jana Swanson pushed the lead into double-digits at 26-16. After St. Scholastica whittled the deficit to nine, BSU closed the half strong on a 6-0 run. Pogatchnik and Hill tallied three free throws before a Barrette long ball sent Bemidji State into the half ahead 35-20.
Bemidji State then used a 24-13 third quarter to put the game out of reach. A 6-0 run a few minutes into the quarter jumped the lead to 24. Sheforgen converted a three-point-play, and a Barrette transition layup highlighted the run that left BSU with the 48-24 advantage.
The lead got as high as 28 on a three-pointer by Koenig before the Saints hit the final basket of the quarter for the 59-33 BSU lead heading into the final 10 minutes.
Barrette and Gunther hit back-to-back layups near the midway point of the fourth to keep the lead at 27. St. Scholastica then closed out the fourth quarter on a 13-5 run to provide the final score of 71-52.
A few freshmen played their first collegiate game for the Beavers. Guenther had four points and a pair of blocks. Tieryn Plasch collected three points and four rebounds. Beth Bolte tallied two points. Sage Ganyo also played three minutes and recorded a shot attempt.
BSU held St. Scholastica to 19-62 (30.6) from the field, 5-19 (26.3) from three and 9-21 (42.9) at the foul line.
Bemidji State continues the six-game homestand this Monday when Mayville State comes to town starting at 6 p.m. The game will be an exhibition contest for both teams.
For more information on the Bemidji State Women's Basketball program, follow the Beavers on X (@BSUBeaversWBB), like them on Facebook (facebook.com/BSUBeavers) and follow them on Instagram (@BSUBeaversWBB).
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).
