MINOT, N.D. – Minot State University clawed back into the game, but couldn't get it closer than four points, falling to Northern State 94-88 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference men's basketball Saturday at the Minot State Dome.

MSU (7-9 overall, 3-7 NSIC) trailed more much of the game and by as many as 15 points early in the second half, but made it a two-possession game late. The Beavers cut it to just four points on a layup by Tyler Rudolph with 2:42 to play in the game.

But NSU (11-5, 7-3) countered that play with a transition 3-pointer by Ian Smith and MSU couldn't get it closer than five to finish out the ballgame.

"We competed hard in the second half, talked better, executed better and had better possessions," said MSU head coach Matt Murken. "We had a couple of chances again tonight to get a big bucket or a big stop after cutting it to (four), but their guy came back and hit a big three. It was a big shot for them."

The Beavers jumped out to a 6-0 lead on 3-pointers by Russ Davis and Luis Ricci Maia and still led 11-5 on a layup by Channing Reed in the first four minutes of the game. But the Wolves countered with a steady dose of Logan Doyle and Carter Evans down low and Smith, Mack Arvidson and DJ Pollard up top. Doyle led NSU with 25 points and 11 rebounds, while Evans had seven points and four rebounds off the bench.

"They did a good job of getting touches for those two big fellas inside and spaced the floor real well," Murken said. "That's a good way to start your offense. We allowed too many easy baskets for them, I think those two had five dunks between them. Some of that was we had to take some chances in the second half, but those two did the most with their touches."

Minot State countered with a game-high 30 points and 10 rebounds from Tyler Rudolph. Rudolph was 12 of 19 from the field, hitting four 3-pointers and added two blocks to his fine all-around game. But Rudolph finished with nearly half of his team's 24 rebounds as MSU was outrebounded 38-24 overall.

"It (NSU's post play) was one big thing we were focused on, trying to win that area and obviously that didn't work out in our favor," Rudolph said. "And they beat us on the boards. It's hard to win when you do that. It comes down to toughness. We battled them in the second half and if we play like that we will be fine."

Along with Doyle, Smith also finished with a double-double for the Wolves, scoring 16 to go along with 11 rebounds. He added six assists for a solid game for NSU.

MSU had five players in double figures as Nathaniel Moore (16), Stevan Jovanovic (11), Maia (14) and Davis (10) joined Rudolph. Maia dished out eight assists and added two rebounds for the Beavers.

Minot State will look to regroup on the road, traveling to Minnesota State and Concordia-St. Paul Friday and 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.