Bemidji State closes regular season at (RV) UMD, home versus No. 16 SCSU
Bemidji State University prepares for the final weekend of the regular season Feb. 17 and 19 as it faces (RV) the University of Minnesota Duluth and No. 16 St. Cloud State University. The Beavers travel to face the Bulldogs at 5:30 p.m. Thursday in Duluth, Minn., before taking on the Huskies at 2 p.m. Saturday in Bemidji, Minn., for senior day.
The Series vs. Minnesota Duluth
Minnesota Duluth leads the all-time series against Bemidji State, 79-30.
The Bulldogs took the first meeting of the 2021-22 season 61-59 on Dec. 2, 2021 in Bemidji.
UMD has won 10 straight in the series, dating back to Jan. 7, 2017.
Bemidji State and Minnesota Duluth first met in 1968, a BSU win.
BSU fell in consecutive games during the conference schedule for just the second time this season after road losses of 75-67 at Northern State University and 83-63 at Minnesota State University Moorhead last weekend.
Bemidji State bounced back from a 6-0 deficit to lead Northern State in Friday’s game before being outscored in each of the first three quarters. BSU was held to five or fewer field goals in each of the first two quarters to set up a 37-25 deficit at halftime. The Beavers battled back behind four 3-pointers in the third quarter to close its gap to three points before a 13-2 run by the Wolves sealed the game.
Senior guard Brooklyn Bachmann led BSU with 21 points, her 13th career 20-point game followed by senior guard Trinity Yoder with 16 points, five assists and four rebounds. Sophomore Rachael Heittola added 11 points with a team-high nine rebounds.
Five early BSU turnovers led to a 21-15 lead for MSUM heading into the second quarter. The Dragons outscored the Beavers in all four quarters and led for the entirity of the game. MSU Moorhead won the rebound margin, 42-34, including 15 offensive rebounds for 16 second-chance points.
Heittola was the only Beaver to record double-digit scoring at 12 points. She added six rebounds while Bachmann and senior forward Claire Wolhowe each tallied nine points and four rebounds.
Yoder ranks second in the NSIC with 5.2 assists per game and third with 90 free throws made. Heittola ranks second in the league with 6.1 defensive rebounds per game and fifth with 16.1 points per game.
Bemidji State will honor seven seniors during the regular season finale Saturday including Bachmann, Yoder, Wolhowe, Coley Rezabek, Molly Wenner, Taylor Vold and Sydney Zerr.
Bachmann enters Thursday’s game 13th all-time in program history with 1,182 points and sixth with 314 assists. Yoder enters the weekend 21st all-time with 1,073 points, fifth with 358 assists and one steal shy of 10th. Zerr holds the BSU record for most games played with 122 and ranks ninth with 148 3-pointers made. Wolhowe is on pace to set the program record for highest 3-point field goal percentage in a career, currently at 42.4 percent.
Scouting (RV) Minnesota Duluth
The Bulldogs are led by seventh-year head coach Mandy Pearson who is 119-63 with the program.
Minnesota Duluth (19-4, 17-2 NSIC) brought home a 77-58 win at Minot State University during its only game of last weekend. It’s regularly scheduled contest against the University of Mary was canceled.
UMD leads the NSIC in field goal percentage (.448), field goal percentage defense (.361) and rebounding defense (32.4), ranks second in scoring defense (55.2), eighth in scoring offense (66.2) and 13th in rebounding offense (34.7).
Senior forward Brooke Olson leads UMD and ranks second in the NSIC with 17.7 points per game and ranks 12th with 6.5 rebounds per game. Olson ranks sixth in the league shooting 50.5 percent from the field and second shooting 83.6 percent from the free throw line.