MINOT, N.D. – Minot State University couldn't buy a basket for a key stretch in the second half.

MSU went 1 of 11 on 3-pointers overall after the halftime break, but had multiple solid looks at the basket.

The end result was an 82-74 win for Minnesota State University Moorhead in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference men's basketball Friday at the Minot State Dome.

"We had a lot of really good looks in that stretch, from about eight minutes to three minutes, really good looks against their zone and most were wide open shots," MSU head coach Matt Murken said. "Just about everyone we had out there had one, but we couldn't get it to go. All those times to get a big bucket – we have to take advantage of that."

The cold stretch came at both an inopportune moment of the game and was somewhat out of character for the Beavers (7-8 overall, 3-6 NSIC) after shaking off a cold start.

MSUM (12-3, 7-2) led by as many as 10 points early in the game, but by halftime the Beavers had erased that and led 42-38. MSU hit 5 of 10 3s and 17 of 33 from the field to get the lead at the break.

But the cold spell and MSUM free throws were the difference down the stretch. The Dragons hit 25 of 32 from the line and outscored Minot State 25-6 on free throws.

"We fouled too much in the second half and didn't make them earn it," Murken said. "We weren't very good defensively early, but we locked it in a lot better to get back into the game by half. We weren't bad on defense, but we weren't good either. You can't be just 'not bad' defensively in this league against a good team."

Aaron Lien paced three MSUM players in double figures with 31. The Dragons got 68 points from Lien, Tanner Kretchman and Ayob Ayob as the trio hit all seven of MSUM's 3s and went a combined 19 for 25 from the line. The Dragons also held a commanding 40-26 advantage on rebounds.

Luis Ricci Maia finished with 21 points, five assists and four rebounds to lead the Beavers. Tyler Rudolph added a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Russ Davis and Nathan Mertens scored 12 and 10 respectively. Mertens also finished with five assists for MSU.

The Beavers will be back in action at the MSU Dome Saturday, taking on Northern State starting at 6 p.m.

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.