For the second time in three games, the Bemidji State University men’s basketball team totaled more than 100 points and shot over 60 percent from the field, as the Beavers recorded a 102-89 victory Saturday against visiting Upper Iowa University in a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference meeting.

Bemidji State went 35-for-56 from the field for a 62.5 percent clip. The triple digits marked the third time this season the Beavers reached the century mark and the 62nd in program history. BSU knocked down nine shots from beyond the arc on 17 attempts (52.9%) and was 23-of-26 (88.5%) from the free throw line.

BSU posted 22 assists for its fifth game this season with 20 or more helpers. The Beavers also won the rebounding battle 37-25. Upper Iowa (5-9, 3-5 NSIC) shot 46.3 percent from the field and hit 13 3-pointers and 29 attempts (44.7%).

Junior guard Brock Lutes (Portland, Ore.) led all scorers with 30 points to match a season-high. He shot 12-of-16 (75%) from the field, went 2-for-2 from 3-point land and was a perfect 4-for-4 from the charity stripe. He also added eight rebounds and four assists with just two turnovers in 38 minutes of play. Both seniors Zach Noreen (F, Avon, Minn.) and Jake Schalow (G, Kaukauna, Wis.) chipped in 22 points, but in different ways. Noreen was 9-for-14 (64.3%) from the field with two 3-pointers and two free throws. Schalow only made one two-point field goal, as he recorded a career-high in free throws made and attempted, going 11-for-11, and was 3-for-5 from long range. Senior Michael Farrington (G, Milwaukee, Wis.) dished out a career-high and BSU season-high 11 assists.

The team traded buckets early and with 15:48 remaining in the first half, the Peacocks held a 10-9 lead. Back-to-back Schalow 3-pointers erased the deficit and handed the Beavers a six-point lead at 15-10 – a lead it would own the rest of the game. The Bemidji State advantage moved to nine at 25-16 with 10:04 showing on the game clock after a junior DJ Hervy (G, Chicago, Ill.) layup.

The road team didn’t go away at that point and chipped away until it trailed by just one at 29-28 with 6:51 left in the opening frame. BSU held a small lead until a sophomore Dillon Floyd (F, Palm Springs, Calif.) 3-pointer and two Hervy free throws moved the advantage back to nine at 41-32 with 2:31 remaining. UIU cut the deficit down to four on two occasions before BSU went into the locker room winning 49-42.

The Peacocks came storming out of the break and scored the first five points of the half to keep the deficit within two possessions for most of the early parts of the half. The home team’s lead was just five at 58-53 with 14:30 left, but the Beavers would use the next three minutes to post an 11-2 run and break open a 16-point lead, 71-55 with 11:25 remaining. Four different players scored in the run, as both Noreen and Lutes added four.

Again, the never-quit Peacocks battled back and was within striking distance down 10 at 91-81 with 3:55 remaining in regulation. But the Beavers quickly squashed any comeback and went on a 7-0 run with five points coming off the hands of Lutes. The run moved the lead to 17 at 98-81 and secured the victory for the Beavers.

Bemidji State takes to the road Jan. 10-11 as it travels to Augustana College and Wayne State College for a pair of NSIC South matchups.

For more information on the Bemidji State men’s basketball program, follow the Beavers on Twitter (@BSUHoops or @BSUBeavers), like them on Facebook (facebook.com/Bemidji-State-Basketball or facebook.com/BSUBeavers) or sign up for the TXTUpdates from BSUBeavers.com text-messaging system through the “Mulitmedia” pull down menu on the main page of BSUBeavers.com.