Bemidji State University men’s basketball opens its season series versus University of Minnesota Duluth and St. Cloud State University with road trip on Jan. 3 and 4. The Beavers open the weekend at 7:30 p.m. Friday against the Bulldogs in Duluth, Minn., before a 5:30 p.m. tip-off Saturday versus the Huskies in St. Cloud, Minn.

Minnesota Duluth leads the all-time series against Bemidji State, 93-46. Each team has a three-game winning streak over the past six meetings. The Bulldogs have taken the past three meetings by an average margin of 11.0 points per game. Senior forward Logan Bader led BSU with 11 points per game against UMD last season, including a 12-point performance on 5-of-8 shooting on Jan. 4, 2019 in Bemidji. Sophomore forward Cody Landwehr recorded a double-double in the season-series finale against UMD with 10 points and 10 rebounds, which was part of a three-game double-double streak.

The series began Feb. 21, 1931, a 28-26 win by BSU in Duluth. The Beavers won four of the first five games in the series, which is the fourth longest series versus a single opponent in BSU history, behind St. Cloud State (149 games), Winona State University (159 games) and Minnesota State University Moorhead (186 games).

St. Cloud State leads the all-time series against Bemidji State, 103-46. BSU’s most recent victory came Jan. 10, 2016, a 70-69 decision in Bemidji, Minn. SCSU has won six consecutive games versus BSU. Four Beavers scored at least 15 points in a 107-101 double overtime loss to the Huskies on Jan. 5, 2019 in Bemidji. Senior guard Ja Morgan led the team with 24 points followed by junior forward Derek Thompson with 22, while sophomore guard Max Bjorklund recorded his first career double-double with 17 points and 10 assists. Bader also recorded a double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds. Landwehr began a three-game double-double streak with 18 points and 10 rebounds on Feb. 22, 2019 at SCSU.

The series began Jan. 6, 1922, a 47-13 win by St. Cloud State in St. Cloud.

Bemidji State secured a season split with an 85-76 victory over University of Minnesota Crookston on Dec. 21, 2019 heading into the holiday break. BSU improved to 5-0 on its home court and ranks third in the NSIC North Division with a 7-3 record overall and 4-2 mark in conference play.

After UMC hit a 3-pointer to draw within one point of BSU’s lead, 75-74, the Beaver defense held the Golden Eagles to just two points over the final two minutes of play. UMC shot 0-of-5 from the field over that span while BSU allowed it to shoot 41.7 percent from the field through the game. Bemidji State connected on 54.9 percent shooting overall and outrebounded Minnesota Crookston, 37-27.

All six of BSU’s student-athletes who played more than two minutes finished the game with double-digit scoring, led by junior guard Nick Wagner with 17 points. Senior forward Logan Bader added 16 points while junior forward Zach Baumgartner scored 15 points off the bench. Baumgartner recorded his second career double-double and first in conference play with a team-high 10 rebounds. Wagner ranks 13th in the nation with 3.7 3-point field goals per game.

The Beavers are 6-0 playing on Saturday this season, 5-0 when leading at halftime, 6-0 when shooting over 50.0 percent from the floor, 7-0 when shooting better than the opponent and 5-0 when sinking more free throws than their opponents.

Bemidji State ranks seventh in the nation in 3-point field goal percentage, shooting .423 from beyond the arc. The Beavers also rank 10th nationally with 12.1 3-point field goals per game. BSU ranks among the top 25 nationally in defensive rebounds per game (13th/30.5), field goal percentage defense (19th/40.0), scoring margin (23rd/14.7) and field goal percentage (24th/50.0).