MINOT, N.D – It might have been a bit more exciting than the Beavers hoped for, but in the end No. 25 Minot State prevailed.

Minot State took control in the early matches, grabbing five wins and forging a 13-point lead, then hung on to beat visiting Southwest Minnesota State 16-15 – after both teams lost a team point – in NSIC men's wrestling action Saturday at the MSU Dome.

After splitting the weekend at home in NSIC dual action, the Beavers now hit the road for the Dragon Open tournament on Sunday at Minnesota State Moorhead.

Saturday, the Beavers (3-1 duals, 1-1 NSIC) got things rolling after an opening-match setback, as Wayne Joint dominated in his 133-pound match, scoring a 20-2 technical fall victory to Minot State a 5-4 lead in the team total.

And that total kept growing as Minot State won the next four in a row as Ethan Wonser got an early takedown and a second-round escape to edge out Hunter Pfantz for a 4-3 at 141 pounds, then Kasius Graham grabbed a 7-2 decision at 149 pounds, scoring a pair of takedowns in the match.

Kelby Armstrong broke a scoreless tie in the second round of his 157-pound match with an escape and takedown and went on to a 5-2 decision, then Brendan Barnes capped the run of wins with a 2-1 decision as he and Ashton LaBelle traded escaped over seven minutes of action, and Barnes earned the win thanks to 1 minute, 10 seconds of riding time.

That gave the Beavers a 17-4 lead before the Mustangs (0-2, 0-2) made their charge with four straight decisions for 12 points, that left the final margin a one-point Beaver victory.