Saturday, January 3, 2009

Wayne State 81 Bemidji State 60

            Wayne State College shot 73.9 percent in the second half (17 of 23) to pull away for a 81-60 Northern Sun Conference men's basketball win over Bemidji State Saturday evening at Rice Auditorium in Wayne.  The Wildcats improved to 6-6 overall and 2-3 in league play while Bemidji State drops to 3-9 and 2-4 in the NSIC.

            Bemidji State led for a majority of the first half and held a 36-34 lead at halftime.  The Wildcats started to take control midway through the second half and pulled away in the final 10 minutes for the easy win.  With WSC holding a 51-50 lead with 11:20 to play, WSC reeled off seven straight points to take a 58-50 lead and never looked back in picking up the win.

            Wayne State placed five players in double figures led by senior guard David Walters, who matched a career-high with 21 points.  Senior forward Jonathon Thomas recorded his second double-double of the season with 18 points and 13 rebounds followed by Brian Metz with 12 points.  Redshirt freshman guard Elijah Miller accounted for 11 points and seven assists while Brent Jackman finished with 10 points.

            The Wildcats shot 51.9 percent for the game, making 27 of 52 shots, including 17 of 23 in the second half.  WSC was just 6 of 20 from the three point line and shot a season-high 87.5 percent from the foul line making 21 of 24 charity tosses.

            For Bemidji State, Patrick Cassidy scored 13 points followed by Jake Lindstrom with 12.  The Beavers hit just 22 of 53 shots from the field for 41.5 percent.  BSU was 5 of 23 from the three point line and 11 of 19 at the free throw stripe.

            WSC held a commanding 38-23 edge in rebounding thanks to 13 boards by Thomas.  The Wildcats had just 13 turnovers and handed out 18 assists in the win.     

            Wayne State will be on the road next weekend, visiting Minnesota, Crookston Friday night and MSU Moorhead Saturday night in Northern Sun Conference play.