MINOT, N.D. – Minot State University never fully shook the University of Jamestown Tuesday night.

But the Beavers never trailed.

Minot State led wire-to-wire, holding off the Jimmies throughout for a 75-69 win in nonconference NCAA Division II men's basketball at the MSU Dome.

"They (the Jimmies) made some timely baskets every time we stretched the lead out," said MSU head coach Matt Murken. "That's one of the things they do is shoot the ball. They put some pressure on us down the stretch, but we did enough to hold them off."

The Beavers (4-1 overall) got a huge lift in the second half by sophomore Tyler Rudolph (F, Bismarck, N.D.). Rudolph scored 13 of his game-high 21 points during a 21-12 run that gave MSU a 65-54 lead with 6:17 to play.

"He made some big shots in the second half when we needed them," Murken said of Rudolph. "I thought he missed a couple in the first half and uncharacteristically left some points on the court. But he's a game. He's the type of guy that would bite the butt of a bear if you ask him to and he did that in the second, culminating in a big half."

Both teams heated up in the second half after slow starts. UJ (5-3) was especially better in the second half from the field, hitting 14 of 27 shots to improve on a dismal 23.5 percent shooting in the first half. MSU was steadier in the game, improving to 48 percent in the second half and 43 percent for the game.

Where MSU was much better, however, was from the free-throw line, knocking down 15 of 18 in the second half and outscoring Jamestown 25-18 overall. A total of 51 fouls were called and the teams shot a combined 58 free throws.

"We still need to be better for longer stretches," said Murken. "We had a lot of good lucks early and didn't get them to go, but the second half was better. There were some things to build on tonight, certainly."

The Jimmies had three in double figures as Brequen Tucker led UJ with 13. DeWan Davis and Sam Johnson scored 11 apiece. Isaac Wahlin scored seven points and added six rebounds in the loss.

Rudolph was just a rebound shy of his fourth double-double on the young season, pulling down nine rebounds to go with his 21 points. Winston Williams (Sr., F, Plainfield, Ill.) nearly had a double-double in the first half and finished with his second in a row, scoring 13 and adding 10 rebounds.

Dominique McDonald (Sr., G, Raleigh, N.C.) and Stevan Jovanovic (So., F, Novi Sad, Serbia) scored 10 apiece with McDonald dishing out four assists. Nathan Mertens (Jr., G, Devils Lake, N.D.) had a solid all-around game with six points, six rebounds, four assists, a block and a steal in 30 minutes. MSU held a 42-38 advantage on the glass.

Minot State starts Northern Sun play with rival University of Mary Saturday in a single game starting at 6 p.m. 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.