CROOKSTON, Minn. – Minot State University had its best possessions – on both ends of the court – in the final three minutes.

The Beavers went on a 14-6 run in the final 3:27 to break open a tight back-and-fourth contest and pulled away for a 71-63 win in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference men's basketball Friday at Lysaker Gymnasium.

"We weren't great the whole time, but I'm proud of how we worked," said MSU head coach Matt Murken. "We executed much better in the second half. We held the ball too much on our post feeds in the first half, but cut harder and were quicker in the second half."

The late run was spurred by two huge steals by Chris Davis (Sr., G, Colorado Springs, Colo.) and a consistent offensive effort by Tyler Rudolph (So., F, Bismarck, N.D.). Rudolph scored five of his game-high 20 points during the stretch.

After an early run by the Beavers, things tightened up for nearly the rest of the contest. MSU led by a point at halftime and continued that margin much of the second half before a short UMC run.

The Golden Eagles (3-20, 1-18) took its largest lead of the game, 55-50, on a layup by Derrick Redd with just under six minutes to play in the game.

"They did a good job and were pretty hot beyond the arc," Murken said of Crookston's nine triples. "But the tradeoff for us was we pounded the ball inside and got to the line more. "

The Beavers answered right back as Rudolph hit two free throws after a big offensive rebound and Michael Pelo (Sr., G, Charleston, Utah) nailed his only shot of the night. Pelo's timely triple from the wing on feed from Davis tied the game at 55 just before the final media timeout.

Rudolph, Davis and MSU free throw shooting took over from there. After MSU took a 61-57 lead, Davis tipped a pass for a steal to set up a Rudolph 3 to give MSU a 64-57 lead. On the next UMC possession, he stepped in front of a pass and hit two free throws after being fouled on the break.

MSU hit 12 of 14 free throws in the second half and knocked down nine of 11 in the final five minutes.

Redd paced the Golden Eagles with 19 points, five assists and three rebounds. Kobe Critchley scored 15 points but the Beavers held him to just three points in the second half after leading all scorers with 12 in the first.

Rudolph was the only Beaver in double figures with his 20 and he notched is league-leading 11th double-double as he pulled down 11 boards. He finished with five offensive boards and dished out four assists in the win.

While MSU only had one player in double figures, the Beavers had solid balance, finishing with seven other players with five or more points and all nine MSU players who saw the court scored. Davis and Winston Williams (Sr., F, Plainfield, Ill.) scored nine each. Williams scored seven of his nine points in the first five minutes of the second half. Nathan Mertens (Jr., G, Devils Lake, N.D.) added eight points and three assists, while Davis added six rebounds and two assists to his point and steal totals.

The Beavers held a decisive advantage in rebounds – 37-28 – and limited the Golden Eagles to just five offensive boards in the game.

Minot State will look to make it a sweep on the road as they travel to Bemidji State for a 6 p.m. game Saturday.

About Minot State
Minot State University is a member of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) and NCAA Division II offering 14 men's and women's varsity intercollegiate athletics programs. The NSIC is a premier NCAA DII, 16-member conference featuring teams in North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Nebraska and Iowa. The Beavers are the only public NCAA Division II institution in the state of North Dakota.