Beavers set to host No. 15 Mustangs and Cougars

Bemidji State Men’s Basketball hosts nationally-ranked Southwest Minnesota State and Sioux Falls this weekend

Bemidji State University Men’s Basketball hosts No. 15 Southwest Minnesota State University and University of Sioux Falls Friday and Saturday at the BSU Gymnasium.

Friday’s tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m. with BSU’s Student Athlete Advisory Committee tabling for the NSIC’s initiative “It’s a SLAM DUNK – Don’t drive DRUNK” and a scholarship appreciation recognition. Saturday’s black-out game is set for 3:30 p.m. with a special Beaver Basketball alumni recognition at halftime.

Bemidji State enters the weekend on a five-game losing streak that began with a 98-66 loss to Augustana University at home on Jan. 4. Overall, Bemidji State is 6-12 with a 3-9 NSIC record, holding 12th place.

Forward Tate Olson leads the Beavers and is fifth in the conference for rebounds per game at 9.1, totaling 163 over the course of 18 games. Olson also cracked the conference’s top 15 in assists with 3 per game. He’s the Beavers’ leading scorer, sitting just two points away from the 200 mark this season.

John Pecarich has grabbed the top spot for the Beavers at the three-point arc, marking a shooting percentage of .441 on 30 makes with 68 attempts. He averages 1.7 makes per game and attempts 3.8.

Jareon Mayo creates problems for opposing offenses, averaging 1.3 steals per game with a 15- game total of 19.

Following this weekend, BSU takes a mid-week trip to St. Cloud State University Jan. 28 for a single game, then returns home for Mental Health Awareness Night and Beach Night on Jan. 30, hosting the University of Mary at 5:30 p.m.