Defense was the key to success for the Bemidji State University men’s basketball team Friday, as the squad earned a 61-40 victory against visiting University of Mary in a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference contest at the BSU Gymnasium. The Beavers held the Marauders to 27.7 percent shooting from the field, en route to holding U-Mary to 40 points, the lowest by an opponent since the 1951-52 season.

The Beavers defeated Manitoba 72-27 at home, Jan. 4, 1952 in the middle of a 14-game winning streak – tied for the longest in program history. The 1951-52 team went 17-3 and won the Northern Intercollegiate Conference with a 7-1 mark. The last time Bemidji State held a conference opponent to 40 points or less was the previous season in a 67-28 victory against Moorhead State, Jan. 12. 1951.

Senior guard Dermaine Crockrell (Mesa, Ariz.) recorded a season-high 22 points and added a game-high five assists. Senior Mason Walters (F, Milton, Wis.) posted his third consecutive double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. He was an efficient 5-for-8 from the field (62.5%) in the game with two steals. In the last three games, the senior is averaging 14.0 points and 10.3 rebounds per game. Senior Lance Rongstad (G/F, Eleva, Wis.) added a solid 11 points, four rebounds, four assists and three steals.

The Beavers (5-3; 3-1 NSIC, 3-1 NSIC North) shot 39.3 percent from the field and 2-of-15 (13.3%) from beyond the arc in the first half, but posted seven steals to gain nine more shooting opportunities than the Marauders (2-6; 1-3 NSIC, 1-3 NSIC North). Seven offensive rebounds were turned into six, second chance points, which proved to be the difference at halftime with the Beavers leading 26-19.

After jumping out to a 7-0 lead through the first five minutes of play, BSU and U-Mary settled in and the Beavers held a small 9-8 advantage with 12:49 remaining in the opening half. The Beavers responded with a 8-2 run that included four points from Crockrell to open a 17-10 lead with nine showing on the game clock.

Bemidji State failed to score during the next 4:27 of game time to let U-Mary back in at 17-14, but a Walters 3-pointer ended the drought and started a 9-5 run that closed the half with BSU owning the 26-19 lead. The Marauders shot 31.6 percent from the field and recorded 10 turnovers in the first 20 minutes. BSU had six assists on its 11 made buckets.

The second half was all BSU, which started with four straight points from Cockrell to hand the Beavers their first double-digit lead of the game at 30-19 50 seconds into the frame. U-Mary came back with a pair of free throws to sit within nine, but that would be as close as it would get. A 13-0 run by Bemidji State, thanks to five different scorers, lifted the home team to a 43-21 advantage with 12:53 still remaining in the game. The lead rose as high as 28 before settling at 21, 61-40.

The Beavers held the Marauders to 25 percent shooting in the second half, while posting a cool 50 percent from the field. BSU dished out 15 assists to U-Mary’s five and finished with 12 steals, the second most by the squad this season. The Beavers, who entered the game 10th nationally with a 43.6 3-point percentage, went just 3-for-24 (12.5%) from downtown.

The Beavers will try to make it three straight wins Saturday with a 6 p.m. tilt against Minot State University at BSU Gymnasium. The contest will wrap-up the 2012 calendar year and break the team for the holidays.