UMC MEN’S BASKETBALL CAN’T OVERCOME BEMIDJI STATE’S HOT SHOOTING IN LOSS

The University of Minnesota Crookston Men’s basketball team couldn’t make the crucial defensive stop when they needed to the most falling 85-76 to Bemidji State in an NSIC game played at the BSU Gymnasium in Bemidji.

First Half –
After Bemidji State opened the scoring, Javier Nicolau (Sr., Castellon, Spain) countered with a lay-up tying the score at 2-2. Ibu Jassey-Demba (Jr., Birmingham, UK) knocked down a three-pointer giving Minnesota Crookston a 5-4 lead. Harrison Cleary (Sr., Oak Creek, WI) knocked down back-to-back three-pointers eclipsing 2,400 career points while giving the Golden Eagles an 11-4 lead. With 10:19 to play in the first half, Cleary made a mid-range jump shot increasing UMC’s lead to 23-13. Bemidji State countered with a 9-2 run to pull within 25-22 with 7:34 remaining in the half. An 8-0 run gave the Beavers a 30-27 lead. Both teams traded points the rest of the half before a Bemidji State lay-up gave the hosts a 37-36 halftime lead. “We were up ten at one point, but then we stopped getting stops,” said UMC head coach Dan Weisse. “This game we can talk about our shooting woes, but it really comes down to our lack of defensive toughness. We just need to be better and tougher on the ball.”

Second Half – 
Javier Nicolau scored a lay-up to open the second half giving Minnesota Crookston a 38-37 lead. Bemidji State answered with a 15-2 run taking a 52-40 lead with 12:14 to play. Malcolm Cohen (R-Sr., Detroit, MI) made a three-pointer followed by a triple from Harrison Cleary, trimming the Golden Eagles’ deficit down to 55-51. UMC continued to hang around with Harrison Cleary draining another three-pointer bringing Minnesota Crookston within 73-69. Malcolm Cohen made a triple with 1:55 to play to bring the visitors within 75-74. Bemidji State responded with a three-pointer, and UMC scored just 2 points the rest of the game as the Beavers hung on for an 85-76 win. “I just went into the lockerroom and started talking about a couple guys not shooting well,” explained Weisse. “I caught myself because if you give up 85 points, you could shoot the ball well, you’re still not going to win those games most of the time. Give Bemidji State a lot of credit. They have a couple of men down, but they’re playing really good basketball right now. There are certainly things we’d do differently with the ball screen situations but they made big shots time after time.”

The Golden Eagles drop to 7-5 overall and 3-3 in conference play. Minnesota Crookston returns to the court on Friday, January 3 when UMC travels to St. Cloud State for a 7:30 P.M. tip-off. Bemidji State improves to 7-3 overall and 4-2 in NSIC games.