BISMARCK, N.D. – Bismarck State men's basketball returned to the Armory on Friday night, Indigenous Culture Night, for their Frontier Conference home opener, welcoming (RV) Rocky Mountain (Mont.) in what marked the Mystics' first NAIA home contest as members of the Frontier Conference.
The matchup proved daunting from the start, as the Battlin' Bears—who upset No. 1 College of Idaho on Nov. 7 and entered with a 4-1 record—brought a balanced, high-efficiency attack that quickly seized control. Meanwhile, the Mystics were playing their third game in four days and searching for momentum early in the season.
Rocky Mountain set the tone immediately, racing out to a 14-0 lead and holding BSC without a field goal for nearly six minutes. Rocky shot a blistering 58.3 percent in the opening half, including 8-of-18 from beyond the arc, to build a commanding 52-17 advantage at the break.
BSC showed fight in the second half, as they were only outscored 41-47 in the final 20 minutes while finding more rhythm offensively. Houston Davis fueled the push with 12 second-half points on 3-of-5 shooting, while the Mystics attacked the paint and got to the line, going 16-of-21 after halftime.
Still, Rocky's depth and efficiency proved overwhelming. Rocky finished the night shooting 58.7 percent from the field and 44.4 percent from three, with 10 different players reaching the scoring column. Royce Robinson led all scorers with 19 points on a perfect 8-of-8 shooting, while Cameron Quinnell added 18 off the bench. Rocky also cashed in 29 points off turnovers and held a 55-20 advantage in bench scoring.
Davis paced the Mystics with 17 points and seven rebounds, and Avery Wesley added 13. Alex Proctor provided a spark off the bench with 11 points and three steals. Kamayua Black Jr. added five points in seven minutes before fouling out.
BSC shot 34.6 percent from the floor and 19-of-26 from the line while limiting Rocky to just four fast-break points on the night. The Mystics also posted 10 second-chance points behind improved rebounding out of the break.
The loss drops Bismarck State to 0-5 overall and 0-1 in Frontier play, while Rocky Mountain improves to 4-1 and 1-1.
The Mystics will look to rebound Saturday, Nov. 22, when they host Carroll (Mont.) at 7 p.m. inside the Armory. The Fighting Saints will enter with a 3-1 (2-0) record as they defeated Dickinson State 85-57 on Friday night.
Check out the men's schedule for information on how to follow and attend the next home game.
Be sure to visit BSCMystics.com and download the MysticNation app to continue to stay up to date with everything going on in Mystic Athletics.
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