MANKATO, Minn. – Minot State University led by a point at halftime, but gave up 48 second-half points as Minnesota State rallied for an 81-66 win in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference men's basketball Friday at the Taylor Center.
 
The Beavers (7-10 overall, 3-8 NSIC) held the Mavericks to just one 3-pointer on nine attempts in the first half, but gave up five in the second half. Minnesota State (12-5, 7-4) shot 53.8 percent in the first half, but took just 26 shots. In the second, the Mavericks knocked down 17 of 30 overall.
 
"Our defensive execution hurt us in the first 10 minutes of the second half," said MSU head coach Matt Murken. "You can't have breakdowns that lead to uncontested shots on the road. The first 20 minutes we battled, we were tough and we competed at a high level."
 
Minot State tried to keep in the game in the second half, hitting six 3s of their own, but knocked down just five two-point baskets and struggled at the line, going 4 for 10 in the second half and was outscored 13-5 from the stripe.
 
The Mavericks also held a big 40-29 advantage on rebounds, limiting Minot State to just one shot multiple times.
 
The Beavers long bright spot rebounding was Tyler Rudolph, who finished with another double-double behind a solid night on the offensive board, pulling down five of his 11 on the offensive end. He finished with a team-high 17 points.
 
TJ Lake and Joey Witthus each scored 21 points for Minnesota State in the win.
 
Nathan Mertens and Nathaniel Moore both joined Rudolph in double figures with 13 and 12 points respectively for Minot State.
 
The Beavers look to regroup on the road Saturday at Concordia-St. Paul.
 
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.