Beavers welcome in Dragons, Wolves as part of first full NSIC home weekend

Bemidji State welcomes in Minnesota State University Moorhead Friday, Dec. 10 and Northern State University Saturday, Dec. 11 as part of BSU’s first full conference home weekend at BSU Gymnasium. The Beavers and Dragons tip-off at 7:30 p.m. followed by a 5:30 p.m. game start against the Wolves in Bemidji, Minn.

MSU Moorhead leads the all-time series against Bemidji State, 71-41. The Beavers and Dragons last met Jan. 10, 2020 as part of a season sweep for BSU. Bemidji State snapped a 17-game losing streak to MSU Moorhead with an 81-60 win in Bemidji. The Beavers then followed to win the Century Trophy with a 74-59 win. Bemidji State has now won two straight in the series for the first time since the 2003-04 season. BSU will try for its first three-game winning streak in the series since 1989-90. Bemidji State and MSU Moorhead first met in 1968, a 32-30 win by MSUM.

Northern State leads the all-time series against Bemidji State, 61-10. The Beavers and Wolves last met Jan. 11, 2020, an 81-71 win by NSU in Bemidji. The scheduled season series between BSU and NSU during the 2020-21 season was canceled due to COVID-19 protocols. Northern State has won 14 straight in the series, dating back to Dec. 14, 2013. Bemidji State and Northern State first met Jan. 24, 1986, a 77-74 win by NSU.

The Beavers went 1-2 over its last week of games to begin the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference schedule. BSU began the week with back-to-back losses of 61-59 to the University of Minnesota Duluth at home and 69-51 at St. Cloud State University. Bemidji State closed out the week Tuesday, Dec. 7 with an 86-80 win at the University of Minnesota Crookston.

Bemidji State overcame a double-digit deficit in the first half to take a lead late against Minnesota Duluth. The Beavers went on a 12-3 run over an eight-minute stretch to start the fourth quarter and took its lead on a 3-pointer from senior guard Sydney Zerr. The two teams were tied, 59-59, with 1:03 to play before senior guard Trinity Yoder took a steal to give BSU possession with 43 seconds to play. UMD rebounded a missed BSU layup that set up the game-winning layup with two seconds left.

Sophomore center Rachael Heittola led BSU and recorded her first of two 20-point games this week with 20 points against the Bulldogs. She also led the team with seven rebounds, helping BSU to a 31-26 advantage on the boards. BSU shot 45.8 percent from the field compared to 43.4 for UMD, but gave away 15 turnovers that led to 14 points.

Bemidji State struggled to find its shot early Saturday at St. Cloud State, making just five field goals in the first half. The Beavers shot just 5-of-24 from the field during the first half, falling into a 35-11 hole at halftime. BSU won scoring in the third and fourth quarters, shooting over 50 percent in both periods.

Zerr led BSU in scoring for the first time this season and fourth time in her career with 13 points, including three 3-pointers. Heittola and senior guard Brooklyn Bachmann each led BSU with six rebounds. Bemidji State’s 39.2 percent shooting is its second lowest of the season while it also totaled just 26.3 percent from beyond the arc. The Beavers gave away 16 turnovers which led to 17 points for the Huskies. SCSU also won the battle in the paint, 40-28.

Bemidji State relied on the 3-ball during its road win at Minnesota Crookston, sinking a season-high 12 from long range. The Golden Eagles led by as many as six points before the Beavers scored 35 points in the fourth quarter. Junior guard Maddie Schires scored 11 points in the final quarter and hit five 3-pointers on the night.

Heittola finished with a team-high 22 points, shooting 8-of-13 from the field while Yoder recorded her first double-double of the season and third of her career with 15 points and 10 assists. Yoder is the first Beaver to tally 10 assists since Shannon Thompson in 2012.