BISMARCK, N.D. – Bismarck State men's basketball battled to the final possession on Thursday night at the BSC Armory, but Dickinson State (N.D.) edged the Mystics 86-84 in a tightly contested Frontier Conference matchup.
Dickinson State set the early tone behind hot perimeter shooting, opening the game on a strong run and building a 41-35 advantage by halftime. The Blue Hawks connected on eight three-pointers in the first half, but BSC battled back from an early 19-5 deficit and trimmed the margin to four by the break thanks to a last-second three from Jah Gulley.
DSU built a big advantage once again as they came out of halftime and built their largest lead of the night with a 61-45 lead just seven minutes into the second half.
Bismarck State responded once again with their best stretch of the night in the final 13 minutes. The Mystics shot 58 percent from the field in the second half and outscored the Blue Hawks 39-25 over the final 13 minutes, steadily chipping away at the deficit.
The game tightened down the stretch as BSC leaned on efficient offense and trips to the free-throw line. A clutch three-pointer from Eric Shadoan bounced around the rim and fell through to tie the game at 84 with under 30 seconds remaining, but Dickinson State answered with a layup from Quincy Linton with 11 seconds remaining to retake the lead. The Mystics had one final shot, but their three-pointer fell short to solidify the 86-84 Blue Hawk victory in heartbreaking fashion.
Tristin Davis led Bismarck State with a game-high 26 points on 11-of-14 shooting, adding six rebounds. Jah Gulley followed with 25 points and five assists, while Alex Proctor added 17 points and shot a perfect 6-for-6 from the free-throw line.
Bismarck State finished the night shooting 48.4 percent from the field and 38.9 percent from beyond the arc, while converting 15-of-16 free throws.
Dickinson State was led by Cordell Stinson with 19 points, while Weston Zacher added 14 points off the bench for the Blue Hawks.
The loss drops the Mystics to 1-13 in conference play and drops them three games out of the number eight spot in the standings with eight games remaining. The Blue Hawks improve to 4-10 in the Frontier and are tied with Valley City State (N.D.) for the eight seed, the final playoff spot.
The Mystics will enjoy a weekend off before they're right back at the Armory the following weekend, Jan. 30 and 31, for games against Providence (Mont.) (2-18, 2-12) and MSU-Northern (12-8, 7-7). Tip-off on both nights is set for 7 p.m.
Check out the men's schedule for information on how to follow and watch the team during their upcoming games, and attend the final four home games.
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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