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Sophomore guard Jai’Vionne Green got back to his true scoring form Saturday afternoon, tallying a career-high 33 points, as the Bemidji State University men’s basketball team downed Northland College, 87-64, at BSU Gymnasium. The Beavers (2-2) shot 67.3 percent from the field during the game and 73.1 percent in the second half while adding 36 points in the paint against the Lumberjacks (0-2).
Bemidji State started the game with shooting momentum from the night before, sinking its first four shots from the field. In the process, the Beavers held a 10-2 lead and 12-5 lead four minutes into action. The Lumberjacks followed with an 8-0 run, going 3-of-5 from the floor and making two 3-pointers, to take a 13-12 lead.
The game remained back-and-forth throughout the first half until two and a half minutes remaining in the half. Over the final 2:27 of play, the Beavers defense held the Lumberjacks scoreless and forced them to shoot 0-of-4 from the field. Senior guard Christian Pekarek began a 7-0 run for BSU to end the half with an and-one conversion, while Green sank a free throw for the final point of the period and his 21st point of the game.
The Beavers opened the second half 5-of-6 shooting from the field to push the lead out to double digits for the first time. Green added another seven points through the first seven minutes of the second period, shooting a perfect 3-of-3 from the field, to eventually help put BSU ahead, 58-41.
The Lumberjacks were able to come back to under 10 points following a 9-2 run midway through the half. Sophomore forward Lucas Wendt halted the run with a layup and 3-pointer, pushing BSU’s lead back up to 63-50. His two scores helped the Beavers go up by nearly 20 points and solidify the game.
Green finished the day with a career-high 33 points on 11-of-14 shooting from the field and 4-of-6 from beyond the arc. He also pulled down five rebounds while tallying three assists. Black followed with 16 points and Bader with 15. Bader led all Beavers with seven rebounds while BSU as a unit outrebounded NC, 30-27.
Bemidji State closes out its three-game home stand with a contest against Oak Hills Christian College Monday, Nov. 20 at BSU Gymnasium. The Beavers and Wolfpack meet for the first time ever in the Bemidji matchup.