BEMIDJI, Minn. – Bemidji State University Men's Basketball defeated Valley City State University by a score of 96-72 to open the Beavers' home season. The Beavers were led by guard John Pecarich with 24 points, followed closely by forward Malang Athian at 22.
 
The Beavers claimed the first half by just nine points, 38-29. During this time, the Beavers marked multiple scoring streaks and tallied the greatest point differential with just 2:12 remaining, 36-21. The Vikings closed this gap a small amount but were unable to fight back hard enough. The second half saw the Vikings losing steam and the Beavers picking up and capitalizing on VCSU's mistakes, at one point marking 26 more points than their opposition. 
 
John Pecarich found the sweet spot for scoring this evening, marking a career high 24 points, double his previous record of 12. Pecarich went nine for 13 on field goals and six for nine at the arc. He also marked a pair of rebounds and steals. Malang Athian followed closely behind with 22 points and seven rebounds. All Athian's points came from field goals, going 11 for 21. He grabbed four offensive and three defensive rebounds and added two assists and a steal. Tate Olson led the Beavers' rebounding with a double double, 13 points and 14 rebounds with six assists. Four Beavers also tallied blocks, Pecarich, Peyton Newbern, Jareon Mayo and Brayden Williams. 
 
BSU shot .526 percent from field goal range and .444 at the arc. On the free-throw line, the Beavers split down the middle with four makes on eight attempts. The team grabbed 54 of their points from time in the paint, 20 off turnovers, 20 on second chance attempts and 38 from players off the bench. They held VCSU to just .337 shooting percentage, .333 from the arc and .667 at the free throw line.
 
The Beavers now look to host University of Minnesota Morris next Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. They'll then head south to Miami, Fla. to compete against Barry University and Lynn University the following week. 
 
For more information on the Bemidji State Men's Basketball program, tickets or schedules, visit BSUBeavers.com, follow the Beavers on X (@BSUBeaversMBB), like them on Facebook (facebook.com/BSUBeavers) and like them on Instagram (@BSUBeaversMBB).
 
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).