Bemidji State to host Beaver Bash versus Minot State Jan. 29-30
Bemidji State University women’s basketball brings its historic run back to BSU Gymnasium Jan. 29-30 with a weekend series against Minot State University. BSU (5-1, 4-0 NSIC) will open a four-game homestand Friday at 6 p.m. before closing out its series against MiSU at 3:30 p.m. Saturday.
MiSU leads the all-time series against Bemidji State, 15-7. Bemidji State and Minot State split the 2019-20 season series, as both teams won on the road. BSU’s 83-54 victory against MiSU on Feb. 15, 2020 was the largest margin of victory by BSU in the series.
Sophomore center Rachael Heittola averaged 12.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game off the bench against Minot State last season. Senior guards Brooklyn Bachmann and Sydney Zerr each scored 11.5 points per game during the 2019-20 series.
The series began Dec. 9, 1988, a 77-74 win by Minot State in Bemidji, Minn.
BSU used a weekend sweep over the University of Mary to continue its longest conference winning streak since the 1991-92 season, when Bemidji State was a part of the Northern Sun Conference. The Beavers opened the weekend with a 66-61 win over the Marauders before bringing home its fourth straight Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference victory 58-53 on Saturday, Jan. 23. Overall, BSU’s five-game winning streak is the longest for the program since 2012-13. The Beavers shot 43.0 percent from the floor (49-114) and 36.4 percent from 3-point range (16-44) while the Marauders shot 41.1 percent from the field (46-112) and 34.8 percent from beyond the arc (8-23).
Bemidji State set a season-low with 12 turnovers and a season-high with 12 steals, the most for the program since Nov. 26, 2018, and 10 3-pointers in Friday’s win. The Beavers have shot over 41% from the field in every game this season, including a three-game stretch shooting over 50 percent. BSU ranks ninth in the nation and second in the NSIC shooting 47.5 percent from the field this season.
Bachmann tied a career-high with 24 points on 9-of-17 shooting from the field, including 3-of-4 from beyond the arc, in Saturday’s win. It was the first time this season and 12th time in her career that Bachmann has scored at least 20 points. She added seven assists, four rebounds, one steal and one block in the game.
Bachmann completed the weekend averaging 19.5 points, 5.0 assists, 3.0 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.0 block per game. She led BSU in scoring, assists and blocks during both games.
Heittola led BSU in rebounding during both games, pulling down a season-high 10 boards on Friday followed by nine on Saturday. She added 10.0 points per game with 11 in Friday’s win and nine on Saturday.
Zerr scored a season-high 12 points, two shy of her career-high, on Friday night. All 12 of Zerr’s points came on 3-point field goals.
BSU ranks seventh in the NSIC with 70.5 points per game and fourth with 62.0 points allowed per game. Bemidji State also ranks 19th in the nation and second in the conference with a 25.0 percent 3-point field goal defense and fifth in the NSIC shooting 31.4 percent from outside the 3-point line. On the boards, BSU ranks eighth in the league with 38.2 rebounds per game and ninth with 37.5 rebounds allowed per game.
Listen to the games on Talk Radio 106.3 and online at beaverradionetwork.com.