Box Score MINOT, N.D. – Minot State University placed five players in double figures Saturday night – which is a very good sign for a team struggling to consistently score points.

But what was even more encouraging was the Beavers overall effort.

MSU broke out of a shooting slump in the second half to defeat visiting Black Hills State 73-66 in nonconference NCAA Division II men's basketball Saturday at the MSU Dome.

While the shooting was much better in the second half, MSU's effort was steady throughout – something that couldn't be said in Friday's loss against South Dakota Mines.

In Saturday's win, MSU built a 12-point second-half lead behind 50 percent shooting, including a stellar 6 for 9 from beyond the arc. The Beavers (3-15 overall) held off a late charge by BHSU as Yonas Berhe (Jr., G, Toronto, Ontario) scored a key four-point play and Adam Randall (R-Fr., G, Steele, N.D.) pulled down a key offensive rebound late in the game.

Berhe had been held in check much of the game by solid defense by the Yellow Jackets and foul trouble. But he scored seven of his 11 points in the final five minutes of the ballgame. Randall's rebound, with less than a minute to play after a missed free throw, was indicative of the type of play the Beavers executed much of the night Saturday.

The Yellow Jackets (4-9) got a game-high 20 points from Rob Johnson and shot 59.3 percent in the second half after struggling to a 7-of-27 performance in the first half. Brady Bisgaard added 11 points for BHSU.

Jonas Pollard (Sr., G, Mesa, Ariz.) paced the five in double figures with 15 points as MSU had solid balance. Josh Johnson (Jr., F, Lufkin, Texas) added 15 points, eight rebounds and five assists, while Randall and Thomas Korf (R-Fr., F, St. Cloud, Minn.) joined Berhe with 11.

The Beavers do not play again until the final homestand of the season, a double-header with the University of Sioux Falls Jan. 27 and 28. Game times are 7:30 p.m. Friday and 6 p.m. Saturday.