Box Score MINOT, N.D. – Minot State University battled back from a double digit deficit in the first half to make it a one possession game at halftime.

The Beavers couldn't muster such a comeback in the second half.

Upper Iowa outscored Minot State 49-23 in the second half behind 61.5 percent shooting and defeated the Beavers 84-56 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference men's basketball Friday at the Minot State Dome.

“We played about 12 or 13 minutes of good basketball after a slow start and we were okay with going into halftime down two,” said MISU head coach Matt Murken. “We had a few things we wanted to correct in the locker room, but unfortunately we came out and didn't execute what we planned. We had bad turnovers that led to direct baskets for them and sometimes didn't even give us a chance to guard.”

The Beavers (4-8 overall, 3-5 NSIC) turned the ball over six times in the first seven minutes of the second half and Upper Iowa capitalized. The Peacocks (10-4, 6-2) turned a 35-33 halftime cushion to a 54-37 lead punctuated by a 3-pointer and a free throw by Grant Lang to cap a 19-4 run.

Minot State couldn't make a run in the second half, mainly due to turnovers and poor shooting. The Beavers hit only eight field goals in the second half and didn't get to the free throw line nearly as much as the first half. MISU went 12 for 15 from the line in the first half and just 4 for 6 in the second half.

“We started off slow tonight but I thought we did a great job composing ourselves and getting back to the way we want to play, the way we're supposed to play, and the way we are capable of playing,” Murken said. “The game is going to have good runs and bad runs and you just have to be able to be a little bit tougher during those bad runs and make some better decisions later in the game.”

Upper Iowa had five players in double figures paced by Joey Wood's 18 points. He also had six rebounds and four steals in the win. Sam Elgin added 14, Tucker Wentzien and Lang scored 12 apiece and Jake Hughes netted 10. Weintzien finished the night with a team-high seven rebounds for the Peacocks.

Dominique McDonald (Fr., G, Raleigh, N.C.) and E.J. Williams (Jr., G, Raleigh, N.C.) each scored 15 points to lead Minot State. Adam Randall (So., G, Steele, N.D.) finished with 10 points. Kelvin Fraser (Sr., F, Brooklyn, N.Y.) pulled down eight rebounds to lead all players.

Minot State, which had a two-game winning streak snapped Friday, is back at the Dome where it faces Winona State Saturday at 6 p.m.