MINOT, ND --The Minot State men's basketball team got a 41-point showing from the bench on the way to a 78-56 win over the Valley City State Vikings at home Wednesday in non-conference play.

The Beavers (6-2 overall, 2-1 NSIC) had three players score in double figures, led by Jalen Cook, who had a season-high 20 points off the bench. Michael Jok added a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds and Caleb Van De Griend chipped in as well with 11 points off the bench.
 

The Minot State offense was strong from three-point land, pouring in nine threes on 29 attempts. Cook hit three treys for the Beavers in the contest.

The Beavers next host in-state rival the University of Mary on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. at the MSU Dome, the tip-off to a Beaver-Marauder tripleheader as Minot State hosts Mary in women's basketball at 3:30 p.m., then in men's wrestling at 6:30 p.m.

Coach's Comments
"It was good for him (Cook) to kind of get back and be the way that he was playing early in the season," Minot State coach Matt Murken said. "He's a big key for us. He brings great energy. We love having him come off the bench and kind of be an offensive energy guy and that sort of thing. And he makes other people better.

"So a lot of work to be done for that and they're a good team as well," Murken added looking ahead to Saturday's game against Mary. "But I'm certainly excited to be coming off a W, you know, a little win streak now of a couple in a row going into that one."

How It Happened

After jumping out to a 15-13 advantage, Minot State went on a 9-0 run with 13:19 left in the first half, culminating in a three from Jaxon Gunville, to increase its lead to 24-13. The Beavers then added five points to that lead by the end of the period and entered halftime with a 41-25 advantage. Minot State relied on its three-point shooting in the period, knocking down six shots to account for 18 of its 41 points.
 

Following intermission, Minot State kept widening that lead, expanding it to 49-32 before going on an 8-0 run to grow the lead to 57-32 with 14:05 to go in the contest. The Vikings narrowed the margin somewhat before the game was over, but the Beavers still cruised the rest of the way for the 78-56 win. Minot State got a boost from its bench in the period, as non-starters accounted for 17 of its 37 total points.

 

Game Notes

» Michael Jok notched a double-double for the Beavers with 12 points and 12 rebounds.
» Minot State found success from three-point land, knocking down nine treys in the game.
» Minot State never trailed in the second half on its way to victory.
» Minot State tallied 15 total assists in the game.
» The Minot State bench made an impact by scoring 41 points to its scoring output.
» Jalen Cook and Caleb Van De Griend came off the bench to score 20 and 11 points, respectively.
» Minot State had a 45-24 edge on the boards in the win.
» Minot State cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 15 offensive boards in the game.
» Jalen Cook led the Beavers with 20 points.
» Minot State got a game-high 12 rebounds from Michael Jok.

This article was created using technology provided by Data Skrive.