Box Score LANCASTER, Texas – Minot State University shot just 32.7 percent from the floor and fell 66-53 against Southern Arkansas in first game of the NSIC-GAC Challenge in nonconference NCAA Division II men's basketball Friday in Lancaster, Texas.

MSU (0-1 overall) trailed much of the way, taking its last lead, 8-6, on a three-point play by Winston Williams (Sr., F, Plainfield, Ill.) five minutes into the game. The Muleriders (1-0) led 29-22 at halftime.

"We defended well enough to win a basketball game, but tonight was a frustrating night for us on the offensive end," said MSU head coach Matt Murken. "Some of that was Southern Arkansas's defense and some of that was our inability to make open looks. We need to clean up the offensive end of the court."

The Beavers did a good job of holding SAU to just 21 percent on 3-pointers and allowed only 42 percent shooting overall, but the Muleriders took five more shots mainly due to an 18-10 turnover advantage, turning MSU's 18 miscues into 19 points.

Minot State's Stevan Jovanovic (So., Novi Sad, Serbia) cut the Muleriders' halftime lead to five with a layup on the Beavers' first possession of the second half, but MSU never got closer. SAU went on a 7-0 run after the Jovanovic layup to stretch the lead to double figures and it hovered there the rest of the game.

SAU's Jaron Davis led all scorers with 20 points and added three assists and two rebounds. Deon Andrews chipped in with 15, while Tony Aska finished with six points and seven rebounds.

MSU's Tyler Rudolph (So., F, Bismarck, N.D.) finished with a double-double, hitting for 18 points and pulling down 11 rebounds. Dominique McDonald (Sr., G, Raleigh, N.C.) was the only other Beaver to reach double figures with 10 points and he dished out four assists. Jovanovic added seven points, while Williams finished with seven rebounds to go along with three points.

The Beavers end the NSIC-GAC Challenge with Henderson State Saturday.

About Minot State
Minot State University is a member of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) and NCAA Division II offering 14 men's and women's varsity intercollegiate athletics programs. The NSIC is a premier NCAA DII, 16-member conference featuring teams in North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Nebraska and Iowa. The Beavers are the only public NCAA Division II institution in the state of North Dakota.