SAN ANTONIO, Texas -- Freshmen Braylen Schirado and Johnathan Hawthorne Jr. each scored 13 points, but Bismarck State men's basketball fell to Our Lady of the Lake (Texas) 90-77 in its season opener Friday, Oct. 23, in San Antonio.
The Mystics (0-1) battled throughout, but the Saints (1-0) led from the opening minutes and kept BSC at arm's length. Jayden Morin-Bishop paced OLLU with 29 points, and the Saints grabbed 43 rebounds, including 21 offensive boards that turned into 26 second-chance points.
First Half
OLLU opened the game on a 9-0 run and led 13-4 before BSC settled in. Schirado scored nine first-half points, and Carter Zeller went 1-for-1 from the floor and 2-for-2 at the line as the Mystics trimmed the deficit to 20-26 with 6:34 left in the half. A 3-pointer by Julien Grant and a Hawthorne jumper made it 25-31, and William Ware's free throws pulled BSC within four at 27-31 with 4:21 to play.
The Saints closed the half on a 14-4 run to take a 45-31 lead into the break. BSC shot 45.8% (11-of-24) from the field and went a perfect 7-for-7 at the free throw line in the first half, but was outrebounded 24-13.
Second Half
The Mystics outscored the Saints 46-45 in the second half and shot 56.7% (17-of-30) from the field. Zeller opened the half with a 3-pointer off a steal, and Alex Proctor's fast-break dunk made it 38-45 with 17:17 left. OLLU pushed the lead to as many as 21 points, 70-49, with 7:49 remaining.
BSC answered with a 7-0 run, getting a tip-in from Hawthorne, a 3-pointer from Schirado and a fast-break layup from Jah Gulley, to cut the deficit to 63-76 with 3:22 left and force an OLLU timeout. Proctor's 3-pointer with 1:24 remaining made it 71-83, but the Saints held on from there.
Mystics Key Performers
Game Notes
- BSC outscored OLLU 23-5 in fast break points.
- BSC forced 17 turnovers and scored 24 points off them; the Mystics committed 21 turnovers.
- BSC shot 51.9% (28-of-54) from the field, 31.6% (6-of-19) from 3-point range and 68.2% (15-of-22) at the free throw line.
- OLLU shot 50.0% (34-of-68) from the field, 35.0% (7-of-20) from 3-point range and 53.6% (15-of-28) at the free throw line.
- Bench scoring was nearly even, with BSC getting 24 points and OLLU 25.
- This was the first meeting between the two schools.
Up Next
The Mystics stay in San Antonio to face Texas A&M-San Antonio on Saturday, Oct. 24, at 3 p.m.
BSC then opens its home schedule against Dickinson State (N.D.) on Friday, Nov. 20, at 7 p.m. in the Bavendick Center. The first 500 fans will receive a free Mystics jersey, and BSC will honor Buster Gilliss at halftime. Tickets are available at BSCMystics.com/Tickets.
See the men's basketball schedule for more information on how to follow and attend the upcoming 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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