BEMIDJI -- Just four games in, it鈥檚 already been a historic season for the Bemidji State women鈥檚 basketball team.
鈥淐oach tells us every day: We鈥檙e super good,鈥� said sophomore center Rachael Heittola, the reigning NSIC North Player of the Week. 鈥淧ost, perimeter, we have everything. Now that we鈥檙e starting to get some wins out of it, I think everyone is starting to get that much more confidence and carrying it into every game.鈥�
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The Beavers have used their past three games to make quite a bit of noise across the conference, winning each time and breaking free from some long-standing program trends.
First came a win over Minnesota State on opening weekend, and then came two wins over Minnesota State Moorhead in their next series. BSU hadn鈥檛 beaten either team since at least 2012, and it also hadn鈥檛 swept the Dragons since 2004.
Fueling those wins have been Brooklyn Bachmann and Heittola, NSIC Player of the Week winners in each weekend that Bemidji State has taken the floor. Prior to this year, the program hadn鈥檛 had multiple winners in the same season since 2007-08.
鈥淲e had excuses piled up to why this was going to be a difficult year, just like everyone else in the league could have,鈥� head coach Chelsea DeVille said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just fun. I love finding joy in basketball, and I love when you can see joy on our student-athletes鈥� faces. That鈥檚 what it鈥檚 supposed to be.鈥�
The Beavers haven鈥檛 stumbled into their success. They鈥檙e shooting 50% from the field this season, which ranks fourth in the nation. They鈥檝e shot at least 50% in three straight games, the same amount of instances they had from 2017-20 combined.
BSU also grabs 34.8 defensive rebounds per game, ranking fifth in the country. And then there鈥檚 the scoring, where Trinity Myer (15.5 points per game), Heittola (15.5) and Bachmann (15.3) all sit within the conference鈥檚 top 10. No other school has more than one player that high.
鈥淚t鈥檚 definitely affirmation for the women to realize they are who we said they are,鈥� DeVille said. 鈥淎t the same time, there鈥檚 a lot of things we can still get better on, which is great. They can see that on film. They also know that, in each of the four games, we鈥檝e played well enough to win and have things we could control a little better.鈥�
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Only the top four teams in each division will make the NSIC Tournament this year, making each game all the more paramount. Bemidji State (3-1, 2-0 NSIC North) is tied with Minnesota Duluth atop the North Division standings.
The Beavers will keep their footing at the top this weekend if they can tame U-Mary. The Marauders (1-3, 1-1 NSIC North) will host BSU on Jan. 22-23 in the latter鈥檚 first road trip of the season.
And even more history is at stake for the Bemidji State bunch. A victory on Friday would give the Beavers their first three-game conference winning streak since 2007, while a sweep on Saturday would clinch their first four-game conference winning streak since 1992 -- which predates the NSIC.
The Beavers could also start the conference season 4-0 for the first time since opening the old Northern Sun Conference schedule 8-0 in 1987-88.
鈥淵ou definitely feel it going into every game, knowing we鈥檙e the better team and we should win,鈥� Heittola said. 鈥淛ust having the confidence in every player on the team to do what they do.鈥�
Not to get ahead of itself, BSU is also staying grounded. While the first two weekends have been a big step forward, Bemidji State recognizes that it has to stay focused on the day-to-day.
That starts with Friday鈥檚 6 p.m. tipoff and Saturday鈥檚 4 p.m. tipoff, both in Bismarck, N.D.
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鈥淲e鈥檙e right here in the moment,鈥� DeVille said. 鈥�(We鈥檙e) preparing for the next opponent, being ready to play them and just enjoying every sweet moment.鈥�
