Men’s Basketball falls to MSUM, 68-53, after late second-half push

A back-and-forth first half isn’t enough to bring the Bemidji State Men’s Basketball team a win over Minnesota State University Moorhead. The Beavers fell 68-53 to the Dragons in the first game of this weekend’s campaign at the BSU Gymnasium in Bemidji, Minn.

MSUM began the scoring, with BSU matching the first points of the game. A series of points from MSUM began their lead, one that lasted for almost 16 minutes into the first half, until a jump shot by BSU senior guard Travis Bianco tied the two at 21-21. BSU then took the lead off a pair of free throws by senior forward Derek Thompson. MSUM answered back with four points of its own, taking back the scoreboard. The following back and forth series of scoring led MSUM to being up by four going into halftime.

Coming into the second half, down 31-27, the Beavers and Dragons fought for control of the scoreboard, matching each other shot for shot. Following a three-point jumper from MSUM’s Jaden Stanley-Williams, BSU began losing traction, giving up eight points before finding the net again. From there, the Dragons extended their lead, moving to 53-37 at the ten-minute mark. The Beavers were unable to tighten the gap, ending the game at 68-53.

The Beavers were led in scoring by guard Travis Bianco, who went 6-14 inside the arc and 2-6 from the three-point line. They saw some troubles keeping up with the Dragons on fast breaks, the Dragons earning 13 points versus the Beavers’ 2. The Dragons also gained control of the board with 15 points coming from turnovers against the Beavers’ 6.

Bemidji State closes out its weekend at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at BSU Gymnasium with the first of two season meetings against Nothern State University.