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BOX SCORE


Upper Iowa and Bemidji State were tied for the fifteenth time in Friday's game with just over ten minutes to play, but the Beavers took control over the final ten minutes to break away and claim a 77-65 NSIC victory.  The home team outscored the Peacocks 24-12 over the final quarter of the game after holding UIU to just four field goals over that span. 

Upper Iowa (9-16, 6-15 NSIC) was aggressive on offense to open the game hitting 12 of their first 15 field goal attempts to edge out to a 31-28 lead.  The three-point advantage was the Peacocks' largest lead of the first half and was fueled by 10 points from both Sam Elgin and Tucker Wentzien.

Bemidji State (20-7, 15-6 NSIC) foreshadowed their second half run with one to close out the first half.  The Beavers outscored their guests 12-1 over the final five minutes of the half to take a 40-32 lead into the locker room.  The Peacocks shooting cooled over the final minutes of the half as the team missed their final six attempts from the field.

Led by five points from Wentzien, UIU quickly retook a 42-40 lead just two minutes into the second half after a 10-0 run. 

The teams went back and forth trading buckets until the midway point of the half.  Mike Lafrenz hit a layup on an assist from Logan Johnson with 10:21 on the clock to give the Peacocks their final lead of the night, 53-51. 

The Beavers broke away over the final quarter of the game fueled by a 15-4 run that took eight minutes off the game clock and gave BSU a nine-point lead, 66-57, with under two minutes to play.  The run was highlighted by 8 points from James Ellison and 5 points from Dermaine Crockrell.

Bemidji State expanded their advantage at the free throw line and claimed the 77-65 win.