BEMIDJI, Minn. — Bemidji State University Men's Basketball hosts Ugly Sweater Night and the Battle of the Beavers at the BSU Gymnasium Thursday and Saturday. Thursday's 5:30 p.m. tipoff against University of Mary will include a halftime ugly sweater contest while Saturday's game against Minot State University is set for 1:30 p.m.
 
Bemidji State Notes

• Bemidji State enters the weekend at an even 5-5 overall split, going 2-3 in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. The Beavers haven't been able to stay in the win column for more than a game at a time this season, splitting a 1-1 record each week. Last week, BSU started the weekend battling through three overtimes with University of Jamestown, ultimately falling 98-94. They then picked themselves up and took down Northern State University, 66-63, in Aberdeen last Saturday. 
• Junior guard John Pecarich leads the team and the conference from the three-point arc this season, marking 79 attempts, a .500 shooting percentage, 3.40 threes per game and 34 total three-pointers made. He's ranked sixth in the NCAA for total threes as well. Pecarich is also fifth in the conference for field goal attempts and sixth for free-throw percentage at .837.
• Also holding space in the leaderboards is Henry Shannon III who leads the conference in blocks, blocks per game and minutes per game. Shannon is seventh in the NSIC for field-goal percentage at .525 and fourth in field goals at 73. 
• Following this weekend's action, the Beavers will have a short winter break before returning to the BSU Gymnasium on Jan. 3 to host RV University of Minnesota Duluth, Jan. 9 to host Southwest Minnesota State University and Jan. 10 against University of Sioux Falls. They'll then get back on the road with a trip to St. Cloud State University the following week. All NSIC games are available on the NSIC Network and Beaver fans can listen in via the Beaver Radio Network with Kevin Reid. 

 
UMary Notes

• The Marauders sit at 4-6 overall with a 3-2 record in the NSIC, holding fifth in the North Division just above Bemidji State. UMary is currently on a two-game win streak, defeating University of Minnesota Crookston 79-54 last Thursday and Minnesota State University Moorhead 96-90 on Saturday. 
• Kelton Coleman steers the Marauders' shop with 14.3 points per game, 143 total, boasting almost 50 more points than his next-closest teammate Cayden Redfield at 96 points total. Coleman is shooting at .427 percent from the field with a .683 percentage from the free-throw line. He is also a top player on defense, averaging 2.8 steals per game. 

 
Minot State Notes

• The Minot State Beavers sit at 6-5 overall with a 3-2 conference record, sitting in third in the North Division. The MSU Beavers have won three of their last four with a solo loss coming from MSUM last Thursday, falling 90-79 in Minot. MSU heads to Minnesota Duluth Thursday before making the trip back to Bemidji Saturday. 
• Deuce Benjamin is the top student-athlete for MSU, boasting a team-leading stat line of 21.2 points per game, .477 field-goal percentage, .441 three-point percentage, shooting .797 from the free-throw line and marking 2.9 assists per game. 

 
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 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).