MINOT, N.D. – Minot State University's sophomore Luis Ricci Maia (G, Franca, Sao Paulo, Brazil) sank a pair of free throws with 1.3 seconds remaining to lift the Beavers to a 76-74 win over Dickinson State in a NCAA Division II nonconference men's basketball game Wednesday at the MSU Dome.

Maia was fouled on the way to the basket after taking an inbounds pass with just five seconds remaining and sprinted to the key. The sophomore, in his first season with the Beavers, knocked down his fifth and sixth free throw on the night to earn the win.

"We drew up a play and executed it," Murken said of the final push. "We would have gotten off a good shot, but he was fouled, and Ricci knocked them down."

The play came after a strange, tip in off a loose ball that went straight up over the Dickinson basket with five seconds remaining. Brandon Jamar tipped in the loose ball to tie the game at 74. The play was indicative of what happened in the second half as Dickinson made a run to get back in the game behind solid post play. The Blue Hawks outrebounded MSU 45-32 and had 15 offensive boards.

"Their big guys were better than our big guys," Murken said. "We didn't finish very many plays in the second half. We had opportunities. We were close to finishing this one off, but didn't put them away."

The Beavers (2-1 overall) led by as many as 11 points on a pair of free throws by Stevan Jovanovic (So., F, Novi Sad, Serbia) with 10:09 to play in the second half, but DSU (2-2) kept chipping away.

The Blue Hawks took its first lead since early in the game as Stephon Dafney hit a 3 and then a jumper to put DSU up 58-55.

Minot State tied it at 58 on a 3 by Maia and the teams traded baskets for the next five minutes.

MSU went on a late run and had chances to stretch a five-point lead – on a free throw by Nathan Mertens (Jr., G, Devils Lake) with 3:20 to play – but couldn't shake DSU as the Beavers missed multiple free throws down the stretch. MSU was just 23 for 39 from the line and 14 for 26 in the second half.

"On the offensive side, stretched it to eight, 10, 11 and played well in stretches," Murken said. "But when they made their comeback, we missed a couple free throws. We didn't finish enough of those big plays and have to find a way to do that more often.

"I like a lot of the things we are doing, but need to do some of those little things to make a big step forward."

DSU had three players in double figures paced by Dafney's 21 off the bench. Curtis Redd added 18 points, while Brandon Ruffin scored 11. Dafney also finished with eight rebounds in the loss.

MSU had solid balance scoring, as four players reached double figures and six scored seven or more points. Tyler Rudolph (So., F, Bismarck, N.D.) scored 14 and added five rebounds and three assists to pace the Beavers. Mertens scored 12 points and dished out three assists, Maia knocked down 11 and finished with three assists, while Dominique McDonald (Sr., G, Raleigh, N.C.) added 10 points. The Beavers turned the ball over just eight times in the game.

MSU has the rest of the week off, but plays three time next week starting with Mayville State Monday at the MSU Dome.

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.