Bemidji State travels Jan. 21-22 to face Sioux Falls, Southwest Minn. State

Bemidji State University continues its road trip Jan. 21-22 with games at the University of Sioux Falls in Sioux Falls, S.D., and Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall, Minn. The Beavers and Cougars open the weekend at 7:30 p.m. at Stewart Center followed by the Beavers and Mustangs at 5:30 p.m. at R/A Facility.

The Series vs. Sioux Falls

Sioux Falls leads the all-time series against Bemidji State, 5-4.
The Beavers and Cougars last met Jan. 31, 2020, a 66-54 win by USF in Bemidji.
The series is tied when played in Sioux Falls, 2-2.
Bemidji State and Sioux Falls first met Nov. 20, 2011, a 68-49 win by BSU in Bemidji.

The Series vs. Southwest Minn. State

Southwest Minnesota State leads the all-time series against Bemidji State, 55-42.
The Beavers and Mustangs last met Feb. 1, 2020, a 78-64 win by BSU in Bemidji.
SMSU leads the series when played in Marshall, 34-15.
Bemidji State and Southwest Minnesota State first met Dec. 7, 1968, a 74-60 win by SMSU in Marshall.

BSU played just one game during its last weekend after a cancellation of Friday’s game at Minnesota State University, Mankato. Bemidji State fell on the road to Concordia University-St. Paul in overtime, 98-90, on Saturday, Jan. 15. The Beavers allowed their opponent to shoot over 50 percent from the field for the fourth time this season as both teams held leads of eight points during regulation. BSU’s eight-point lead came with 7:38 left in the game while CSP tied the game with just over four minutes to go. A missed pull-up shot by BSU with four seconds to play led to an overtime where CSP went on a 10-2 run over the first 4:40 of extra time.

Bemidji State won the rebound margin, 48-37, including 25 offensive rebounds compared to just seven for Concordia-St. Paul. BSU converted its offensive boards into 22 second-chance points and finished the game shooting 38.6 percent from the field and 34.4 percent from beyond the arc. Saturday’s game was the first for BSU shooting under 40 percent from the field since a 68-53 loss to Minnesota State University Moorhead on Dec. 10.

Seniors Travis Bianco and Derek Thompson each recorded double-doubles, led in scoring by Thompson with 22 points. Thompson added 11 rebounds for his second double-double of the season and 13th of his career. Bianco scored 19 points with a team-high 14 rebounds, the most for a Beaver in a single game since Logan Bader with 17 on Jan. 17, 2020. He marked his third double-double of the season and first since Nov. 26.

BSU has featured a 20-point scorer in five straight games and eight of its last 11 games dating back to Nov. 27.

Thompson continued to climb the scoring and rebounding charts at Bemidji State, currently sitting fourth all-time with 1,446 points and moving into fourth with 635 rebounds, four rebounds shy of tying Scott Kramer for third all-time. He also holds the record for the most games played in at BSU and is four starts away from setting the program record for most career games started.