MINOT, N.D. – Minot State University stood toe-to-toe with No. 6 ranked Minnesota State University Moorhead for about 34 minutes Friday night.

But the Dragons took advantage of a cold stretch late in the second half to fend off the Beavers 75-63 in a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference men's basketball game at the MSU Dome.

"I thought we played well for the most part," said MSU head coach Matt Murken. "Out of the last media timeout, we missed two free throws, and I think we only had one miss all night before that, they get a bucket. We miss the front end and they get another bucket and stretched it out."

It was a four-point game with 7:55 to play as Winston Williams (Sr., F, Plainfield, Ill.) knocked down two free throws, but the Beavers were outscored 16-8 to finish the game.

To their (MSUM's) credit, they had similar shots as we did down the stretch and made theirs and we didn't," Murken said. "We have to make those."

Minot State (4-3 overall, 0-2 NSIC) jumped out to a quick lead by a barrage of 3-pointers by senior Chris Davis (G, Colorado Springs, Colo.). Davis hit three early in the game and finished with seven triples in the contest. He led MSU with a season-high 23 points.

"He had a great week in practice and spent extra time working hard," Murken said of Davis. "Something clicked for him this week, he was in the right spot consistently and made shots. We thought he would play well and he ended up playing really well."

The Dragons (8-1, 2-0) muscled their way back into the game and eventually took a double digit lead in the first half. A big key in the first – and again late in the game – was rebounding. MSUM finished with a 49-35 advantage on the glass and had six more offensive rebounds.

"They had a bunch of extra possessions because of rebounding," said Murken. "They were plus five in the first half, plus five in possessions, and that was the difference. We were shooting better and got to the foul line, but we can't give away those possessions. We got beat up on the board. They did that early in the game and again late."

MSUM had good balance as four players finished in double figured and seven who scored finished with at least five points. Tanner Kretchman scored 18 and finished with eight assists to lead the Dragons. Tyler Vaughan added 17 points and eight rebounds, hitting five 3-pointers.

Along with Davis, Tyler Rudolph (So., F, Bismarck, N.D.) also finished in double figures scoring with 21 points. He was 9 for 12 from the field and added six rebounds. They were the only two Beavers in double figures. Williams finished with seven points, six rebounds, an assist and a steal, while Luis Ricci Maia (So., G, Franca, Sao Paulo, Brazil) had a career-high eight assists for MSU.

The Beavers finish off a six-game home stand and a three-game NSIC home stand with Northern State Saturday beginning at 6 p.m.

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.