ASHLAND, Wis. - Beloit's men basketball team ended their first week of the 2022-23 season on a positive note with a 70-59 non-conference road victory at Northland College, which comes just a day after narrowly falling at Finlandia University by a score of 84-76.

Against Finlandia, Beloit (1-2) held the lead early in the second half, and stayed within single digits until the final whistle. They finished the game shooting 45 percent (24-53) from the field and 23 percent (3-13) from 3-point range. Brian Rusch led the Buccaneers with 21 points, while Semaj Roy scored 15 off the bench, while making all five of his shots. Jabari Scuefield and Azeez Ganiyu each finished with 10 points, while combining for 11 rebounds.

Finlandia (1-0) was led by Ilrick Higgins-Moise's game-high 25 points and nine rebounds in just 25 minutes. Danny Zuchak added 17 points, while Noah Prestia led all players with six assists. The Lions shot 46 percent (32-70) from the field and 33 percent (7-21) from 3-point range.

Beloit then followed up that performance with a balanced offensive attack in Saturday's win at Northland, which saw the Buccaneers lead from start to finish, building a 36-20 halftime lead, before coasting to victory. Five Beloit players scored in double figures, led by Ganiyu and Roy's team-high of 11 points and six rebounds apiece. Rusch, Ryan Nixon, and Bryce Friedrich each scored 10, while Beloit finished the game shooting 54 percent (29-54) from the field.

Northland (0-2) was led by Drew Lindberg's 14 points on 4-of-5 shooting, including 2-of-3 from 3-point range. Kevon Powell added 10 points, while Jordan Brennan scored seven. The Lumber Jacks shot 36 percent (19-53) from the field, while making 21 percent (4-19) of their 3-pointers.

Beloit will try to keep things rolling on Wednesday when they'll remain on the road to play Carthage College. That game will begin at 7 p.m. in Kenosha, Wis.