BEMIDJI, Minn. – Bemidji State University Men's Basketball took down the University of Minnesota Morris by a score of 105-62 Tuesday evening. The Beavers were led by senior forward Malang Athian with 17 points and five Beavers marked double-digit scoring. 
 
BSU's scoring started strong with an almost three-minute stretch of 12 unanswered points. Four three-pointers from the trio of Christian Koonce, Malang Athian and Tate Olson gave the Beavers a spark that led to BSU holding the lead for the entirety of the matchup. At its peak, the Beavers lead was set at 36 points, ending the half with a 35-point lead of 59-24. 
 
The second half was a similar look for Bemidji State, adding 46 additional points and giving up 38 to reach a final of 105-62. Adding to the lead from the first half, the Beavers marked their highest lead of 43 points twice, both with just over a minute remaining in the game off a layup from Ryan Bohlman and two free-throw shots from Jareon Mayo.
 
As a team, the Beavers shot .551 percent from the field, .389 at the arc and .750 from the free-throw line. The Beaver bench grabbed 56 total points with almost every player marking at least one field goal. Turnovers from UMM also proved to by highly beneficial for BSU, giving 23 points to the Beavers compared to the Cougars' five. BSU also added 17 on second chance attempts and 13 on fast breaks. 
 
Malang Athian's 17 points led the team with John Pecarich, Christian Koonce, Peyton Newbern and Jalen Patterson all making it to the double-digit mark. Tate Olson tabbed the lead spot in rebounding with nine defensive rebounds and Peyton Newbern and Austin Josephson each added six, Newbern having three and three and Josephson marking two offensive and four defensive. Jalen Patterson marked the team high in assists with four. 
 
BSU now heads to Florida next week to compete against Barry University Tuesday and Lynn University Wednesday. Both games will be available for streaming on the Sunshine State Conference Digital Network.
 
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).