歪歪漫画

BEMIDJI -- The best part of Saturday鈥檚 win for the Bemidji State women鈥檚 basketball team was that it was nothing surprising.

Of course, the 74-59 victory over Minnesota State Moorhead at the BSU Gymnasium felt pretty darn good. But it was not a groundbreaking feat or a miracle upset. This is the team the Beavers expect to be.

鈥淭here鈥檚 no doubt we鈥檙e prepared and good enough once we step on the court on game day,鈥� head coach Chelsea DeVille said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 what you鈥檙e seeing right now. 鈥� We鈥檙e veteran, we have a lot of talent, so let鈥檚 go to work.鈥�

Bemidji State hasn鈥檛 experienced much consistent triumph in recent years, let alone enjoyed a winning season since 1995-96. But this group feels different than those of recent memory.

鈥淲e want to show everyone who鈥檚 watching what we are capable of and what we know we can do,鈥� senior center Taylor Bray said. 鈥淟ast year, we might have stepped on the court and said, 鈥榃e have nothing to lose, let鈥檚 just go out there.鈥� But this year, we know we have a lot of talent. The girls busted their butts all summer long. It鈥檚 been a long time coming.鈥�

Paired with Friday鈥檚 21-point win, BSU has now defeated MSUM in back-to-back games for the first time since 2004.

鈥淚t鈥檚 pretty convincing,鈥� DeVille said of the team鈥檚 talent. 鈥淭here鈥檚 just a calm that we have when we step on the court. We handle ebbs and flows of the game as a mature group, too. You鈥檙e seeing it.鈥�

That was evident all day on the hardwood.

A low-scoring start ended in Bemidji State鈥檚 favor, as the Beavers (3-1, 2-0 NSIC North) weathered a 9-1 Dragon run and answered back when Brooklyn Bachmann took over. The senior guard scored the final six points of the quarter as part of BSU鈥檚 12-3 closing run for a 19-13 lead.

MSUM (3-3, 2-2 NSIC North) lost all sense of a shooter鈥檚 touch in the second, going just 3-for-16 from the field and 0-for-8 from deep. BSU used that to its advantage, fueling an 11-1 run and going into halftime ahead 35-20.

鈥淚鈥檒l give credit to our post defense that made it tougher for Moorhead to score (inside-out),鈥� DeVille said. 鈥淲e took away their posts as much as we could, and then it鈥檚 a little more pressing to score and find good shots.鈥�

The make-or-break moment came in the third quarter, when Minnesota State Moorhead pieced together a 10-2 run and had the game within eight at 44-36.

But the Beavers again showed a poise that鈥檚 greatly improved this season. They scored the next seven points and closed the quarter on a 12-2 run for their biggest lead at 56-38.

鈥淭hings aren鈥檛 always going to go our way. We just have to shrug it off and go get the next play,鈥� Bray said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 what we did there: We let them have their run, and then we regrouped.鈥�

The Dragons never seriously threatened again. BSU led by as many as 24 and eventually won by 15 in a game that wasn鈥檛 even that close.

鈥淗onestly, it鈥檚 so refreshing and it鈥檚 nice,鈥� Bray said of the weekend sweep. 鈥淚t鈥檚 nice to go out there and show everybody else what we鈥檝e been doing and how hard we鈥檝e been grinding.鈥�

Bray and Rachael Heittola shared the team lead with 14 points apiece, while Bachmann had 12 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists alongside 12 points from Trinity Myer.

Sarah Jacobson paced Minnesota State Moorhead with 15 points, but the Dragons finished shooting 30.9% from the floor at 21-for-68.

Bemidji State, now on a three-game winning streak, will next face U-Mary on the road in Bismarck, N.D., on Jan. 22-23. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday and 4 p.m. Saturday.

Bemidji State 74, Minnesota State Moorhead 59

MSUM 13 7 18 21 -- 59

BSU 19 16 21 18 -- 74

MSUM (3-3, 2-2 NSIC) -- Jacobson 15, McKeever 9, Brown 8, Motschenbacher 8, Boom 6, Hay 5, Thompson 3, Tennyson 2, Thuringer 2, Polomny 1, Herbranson 0, Liegel 0, Steichen 0. Totals: 21-68 FGs, 14-21 FTs, 59.

BSU (3-1, 2-0 NSIC) -- Bray 14, Heittola 14, Bachmann 12, Myer 12, Vold 7, Rezabek 6, DuBois 4, Wolhowe 3, Zerr 2, Majewski 0, Wenner 0. Totals: 26-48 FGs, 17-22 FTs, 74.

1/6: Bemidji State junior Trinity Myer (14) scores in the first half against Minnesota State Moorhead on Saturday at the BSU Gymnasium. (Jillian Gandsey / Bemidji Pioneer)

2/6: Bemidji State junior Coley Rezabek (4) passes the ball in the second half against Minnesota State Moorhead on Saturday at the BSU Gymnasium. (Jillian Gandsey / Bemidji Pioneer)

3/6: The Beavers cheer from the bench during the second half of Saturday鈥檚 game against Minnesota State Moorhead at the BSU Gymnasium. (Jillian Gandsey / Bemidji Pioneer)

4/6: Bemidji State senior Taylor Bray, center, passes the ball in the second half against Minnesota State Moorhead on Saturday at the BSU Gymnasium. (Jillian Gandsey / Bemidji Pioneer)

5/6: Bemidji State senior Brooklyn Bachmann (12) shoots in the first half against Minnesota State Moorhead on Saturday at the BSU Gymnasium. (Jillian Gandsey / Bemidji Pioneer)

6/6: The Beavers celebrate a call in favor of senior Taylor Bray (42) in the second half against Minnesota State Moorhead on Saturday at the BSU Gymnasium. (Jillian Gandsey / Bemidji Pioneer)