BOX SCORE

BEMIDJI, Minn. – Bemidji State held Southwest Minnesota State to just two points in the final 10 minutes of the first half and used the defensive stand to earn a 72-57 victory on Friday night in NSIC men's basketball.

SMSU (11-11, 8-7 NSIC) committed 17 turnovers and shot 39 percent from the field.  It's the second straight game SMSU, which leads the NSIC in field goal percentage, has shot less than 40 percent from the field. 

Jordan Miller led the Mustangs with 19 points and seven rebounds.  Nick Smith scored 14 points with Vinard Birch adding 11 points to round out SMSU's double figure scoring.

BSU (10-9, 8-7 NSIC) shot just 36 percent from the field, but held a 44-36 rebound advantage, including 20 offensive rebounds.  Lance Rogstad led the Beavers with 18 points and eight rebounds.

The Mustangs SMSU took the lead in the early minutes of the game and maintained a 16-11 lead with nine minutes and 55 seconds remaining in the half following a Tramel Barnes field goal.  SMSU then went cold from the field, scoring just two points the remainder of the half – a jumper by Shaun Condon with 5:23 left – and BSU took advantage, building a 16-point, 34-18 halftime lead.

SMSU shot just 31 percent in the opening half, while BSU shooting 39 percent, including connecting on three 3-pointers.  BSU also held a 28-15 rebound advantage in the half.

BSU pushed the lead to 39-23 with 14 minutes left in the game, before SMSU rallied with a 13-1 over the next four minutes to cut the deficit to 40-36 with 9:55 remaining, with Miller connecting on three 3-pointers during the stretch.

Following the media timeout, BSU answered in a back way, scoring 10 straight points to push the advantage to 50-36 at the 7:25 mark and the lead never dipped below double digits the remainder of the game.

Southwest Minnesota State looks to snap its two-game losing streak tomorrow night taking on Minnesota, Crookston with tip-off slated for 6 p.m. in Crookston.