Box Score MINOT, N.D. – It's not often a 4-0 run can determine a basketball game, but when it comes in the first 30 seconds of overtime, it is certainly important.

St. Cloud State scored the first two baskets of the overtime and kept Minot State University at bay in an 88-85 overtime win over the Beavers in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference men's basketball Saturday at the Minot State Dome.

"That's the hard thing to swallow in an overtime situation, you look back at so many plays in the game and if we would have got one of those, we win the game," said MISU head coach Matt Murken. "A missed shot, a missed free throw, a box out, anything; we were one play away."

The Beavers (6-10 overall, 2-10 NSIC) pushed SCSU (12-4, 8-4) nearly to the brink as E.J. Williams (Sr., G, Raleigh, N.C.) scored with just over four seconds remaining to force the extra session.

But SCSU's Jorday Poydras – who netted a game-high 32 points – hit a jumper and Kevin Levandoski a layup in transition after a turnover just 22 seconds into overtime.

The Huskies took a 42-34 lead into halftime, but they led by as many 13 on a couple occasions in the first half before Minot State whittled it down to the eight-point margin on a 3-pointer by Dominique McDonald (So., G, Raleigh, N.C.) just before the buzzer.

"I'm really proud of the fight in our guys tonight," Murken said. "We played a solid 40 – or I guess 45 minutes tonight. We didn't finish some plays early, but we kept beliving in our stuff and it paid off in the form of a run late in the first half and in the second half."

Minot State outscored SCSU 38-30 in the second half by holding the Huskies to just seven second-half field goals and 29.2 percent shooting. SCSU kept in the game with solid free throw shooting, hitting 15 of 20 to outscore the Beavers 15-9 in the second half and held 26-22 advantage on free throws.

"We have to do a better job of not putting team on the foul line and have to be tougher in our half-court defense," said Murken. "There was a stretch there where we kept putting them to the line and couldn't get a key stop."

Along with Poydras, SCSU had solid balance with Matt Craggs hitting for 25, Scott Stone 12 including 6-for-6 shooting from the foul line, and 11 from Levendoski. Craggs pullded down nine rebounds and Levendoski had six rebounds, four assists and three steals for SCSU.

Minot State had fine balance as well, with five in double figures. Williams led the Beavers with 21 points, even rebounds, five assists and three steals. McDonald added 19 points and three rebounds, while Thomas Korf (Jr., F, St. Cloud, Minn.) and Lazar Boskovic (Jr., F, Belgrade, Serbia) netted 13 points apiece. Chris East (Sr., F, Toronto, Ontario) finished with a double-double with a game-high 11 rebounds and 10 points for the Beavers.

Minot State continues a four-game NSIC North home stand with two more games at the Dome Friday (Minnesota Crookston) and Saturday (Bemidji State).