ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — Bemidji State (1-0) erased a 17-point deficit and defeated Northwest Missouri State (0-2) 96-93 in overtime Friday at MWSU Fieldhouse in St. Joseph, Mo. Bemidji State recorded 19 assists and 12 steals, and scored 23 points off 15 NMSU turnovers.
The Beavers erased a 17-point deficit and, after the game reached 79-79 late in the second half,
Tate Olson put Bemidji State ahead 94-93 with 34 seconds left in overtime. The Bearcats made 11 3-pointers to the Beavers' seven, while Bemidji State finished with edges in made field goals, made free throws, rebounds, steals and turnovers. Olson finished with 43 points, 16 rebounds, five assists, four steals and three blocks.
Bemidji State started quickly, but Northwest Missouri State moved in front late in the first half and sent BSU to halftime trailing 44-30. Earlier, Olson made four free throws in the opening minutes,
Jouk Mayan scored off a
John Pecarich assist and
Dominic Fairbanks added a jumper as BSU built an 8-2 lead. Olson later hit 3-pointers at 12:06 and 10:20 to help BSU lead 18-12, before NMSU answered and went ahead 19-18 at 8:35. Bemidji State responded after falling behind 27-18, getting an Olson layup, a
Jaxon Boschee 3-pointer assisted by
Nathan Fenske, two
Torin Bosch free throws and an Olson jumper to pull the score to 33-29 with 2:12 left. Bemidji State held a 23-17 rebounding advantage and went 9-for-11 at the free-throw line, but Northwest Missouri State shot 17-for-29 from the field and scored the final stretch around one
Lateef Johnson Jr. free throw to lead by 14 at the break.
The Beavers erased a 17-point second-half deficit, tying the Bearcats at 79-79 on Pecarich's jumper with 1:35 left, answering again with
JP Musoke's layup for an 81-81 tie and taking an 83-81 lead on Olson's basket with 37 seconds remaining. Earlier, after Larenz Walters' 3-pointer put NMSU ahead 47-30 at 19:41, Pecarich scored at every level during BSU's response, assisted Fairbanks' fastbreak 3-pointer after a steal and later turned another steal into a layup that made it 57-51. Bemidji St. kept closing through Olson's baskets in the paint and free throws,
Isaac Severts' 3-pointer and layup, and a defense that collected eight steals while Northwest Missouri State committed nine turnovers in the half. BSU shot 19-for-31 with 12 assists on 19 field goals and outscored NMSU 53-39 in the half, but Robert Garcia's two free throws with 18 seconds left tied it at 83-83 before a late Bemidji State turnover and Northwest Missouri State miss left the score there.
Olson put the Beavers back in front with a layup at :34, giving the Beavers a 94-93 lead in overtime before Pecarich added two free throws at :17 to help close out a 96-93 win. Earlier, Olson scored Bemidji State's first seven points of the extra session, including a layup off Pecarich's assist and two free throws after his own steal, as Bemidji State moved ahead 89-85. Northwest Missouri State tied it at 90-90 on Booker Scheierman's 3-pointer and later went up 93-92 on Larenz Walters' 3-pointer, but Olson answered with the go-ahead basket and secured defensive rebounds after missed NMSU shots at :22 and :00. BSU shot 4-for-7, went 5-for-6 at the line and committed no turnovers in overtime.
Olson finished with 43 points, 16 rebounds, five assists, four steals and three blocks. Pecarich scored 24 points and added six steals and five assists. Boschee added 11 points, going 4-for-4 at the free-throw line.
Bemidji State is now 1-0 overall and takes on Emporia State University tomorrow at 2 p.m. to close the weekend.
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).
