BEMIDJI, Minn. – The No. 10/15 ranked Southwest Minnesota State men's basketball team exploded offensively in the second half to pull away and defeat Bemidji State University 83-66 in NSIC men's basketball on Friday night inside the BSU Gymnasium.
 
The victory for the first-place Mustangs is their seventh in a row and improves their record to 16-3 overall, 11-2 NSIC. The 16-3 mark after 19 games ties the 2016-17 squad for the best in team history.
 
Jakob Braaten led SMSU with 24 points—two shy of his career-high—on 9 of 16 shooting with four 3-pointers. He also grabbed two rebounds, dished out four assists, and added a steal. Mason Lund also had a strong game for the Mustangs with a career-high 20 points on 8 of 9 shooting with four 3-pointers and a team-high eight rebounds. True freshman Landon Pokorski was the third SMSU player in double-figure scoring with a career-high 13 points with three 3-pointers while adding three rebounds, two assists, and two steals. Aeron Stevens chipped in 12 points, five rebounds, and four assists.

SMSU finished the game shooting 56 percent (30 of 54) from the field while making 11 of 22 from 3-point range. SMSU, which held a 32-24 rebounding advantage, held a 36-30 scoring advantage in points in the paint.
 
BSU (6-13 overall, 3-10 NSIC) closed the game shooting 48 percent (26 of 57) with eight 3-pointers in 26 attempts. John Sutherland led the Beavers with 17 points, while teammate John Pecarich added 16 points.

The Beavers limited the Mustangs to just two field goals through the first four minutes to lead 12-6 early in the game. SMSU countered by using six points from Porkorski on a 12-5 run to claim its first lead of the game with 11 minutes to play in the first half.

The Beavers' Isaac Severts drained a pair of 3-pointers to help BSU maintain its momentum with a 28-26 lead with 5:01 left in the first frame. The final five minutes were dominated by SMSU. More than five Mustangs scored on the 14-6 run, with Mekhi Shaw and Mason Lund combining for seven points over the final 4:53 to aid the Mustangs to a six-point lead (40-34) at the half.

BSU opened the half with a 10-6 run to trim the deficit to two points as John Sutherland got a pair of layups to fall to increase his total to nine points. SMSU finally found its groove about five minutes into the half, scoring 18 of the next 24 points to increase the lead back to 14 points with 10:24 remaining. 

SMSU would hold a 76-57 lead with just over five minutes remaining before closing out the game on free throws from Stevens and Kramer.
 
SMSU is back in action tomorrow, taking on St. Cloud State at Halenbeck Hall, with tip-off scheduled for 3:30 p.m.