MINOT, N.D. – Minot State University got everything it wanted out of its final game in 2015.

The Beavers snapped a six-game losing streak, got contributions from multiple players and grabbed some much needed momentum with a 101-66 win over Crossroads College in nonconference NCAA Division II men's basketball Saturday afternoon at the Minot State Dome.

"We needed to get that winning feeling back," said MSU head coach Matt Murken. "We've played some very good basketball lately, just can't complete games. It hasn't been for lack of effort, or not playing hard or a desire to win. We hope this can get us going into the New Year."

The Beavers (5-7 overall) led wire-to-wire as Brandon Green (So., G, Bowie, Md.) earned his first career start and rewarded the decision with two early 3-pointers as MSU raced out to a 8-0 lead. Minot State stretched that to 44-25 at the break as Green hit another 3 in the half and both Chris Davis (Sr., G, Colorado Springs, Colo.) and Tyler Rudolph (So., F, Bismarck, N.D.) had eight before the break.

"We have some guys who are very competitive in practice and sometimes they lose sight of the ordinary play, defensively or offensively, and they need to be out there in a game atmosphere," Murken said. "Brandon's one of those guys, a young guy who is learning and he made some plays tonight."

But it was the second half where MSU's depth took over. The Beavers stretched their halftime margin to as many as 42 points – on a 3-pointer by Matthew Ward-Hibbert (Sr., G, Nottingham, England) with 8:42 to play. The Beavers scored 40 points in the first 12 minutes of the second half.

"We were excited to play today and have been every game lately because it seems like the last one left a bad taste in our mouth," Murken said. "We were excited to see some of the guys who have been hurt and who have been out, get in the game. We have been working on winning the next possession, not the score or anything, just winning the next one and for the most part we did that today."

Ward-Hibbert was part of a bench group that helped MSU outscore CC 54-24 in the game as he finished with 11 points and five rebounds, hitting three 3-pointers. Davis also came off the bench to knock down four triples and hit for 14 points. In all, Minot State had four players in double figures and all 11 players who saw action scored at least four points in the win.

Crossroads College (4-9) never led, but pulled within 15-11 on an Isaac Bowles bucket with 12:35 to play in the first half. Bowles led all scorers with 21 points and added five rebounds and four blocks for the Knights. Steven Horan scored 13 points and pulled down five rebounds, while Todd James added 10 point in the loss.

MSU quickly stretched it back out to double figures on a Brandon Pines (Sr., F, Jessup, Md.) layup four minutes later and the lead never dipped below double digits the rest of the way.

Rudolph led Minot State with 16 points and added six rebounds and three assists. Green chipped in with 14 points, hitting three 3-pointers and Winston Williams (Sr., F, Plainfield, Ill.) added nine points in the win.

The Beavers will be off until after the New Year when MSU plays host to Bemidji State Jan. 2 and Minnesota Crookston Jan. 3 with both nights set for 6 p.m. at the 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.