MINOT, N.D. – Minot State University had another lull midway through the second half and the result was the Beavers third straight Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference loss.

MSU led 58-55 on a 3-pointer by Chris Davis (Sr., G, Colorado Springs, Colo.) with 11:35 to play, but Northern State outscored the Beavers 32-22 the rest of the way to take an 87-80 in men's basketball Saturday at the MSU Dome.

"I thought we played better basketball this weekend," said MSU head coach Matt Murken. "But, in some ways that's bittersweet. It makes it frustrating. You played well in places, but come away with two losses.

"We took steps forward this weekend, but have more steps to take."

The Beavers (4-4 overall, 0-3 NSIC) looked great on the offensive end early on as Nathan Mertens (Jr., G, Devils Lake, N.D.) knocked down a pair of 3-pointers in an early 20-8 run. The game tightened up from there, but MSU was still up by one, 37-36, at halftime.

"Offensively, we were better tonight, but defensively we weren't as good," Murken said. "We've got to keep battling. We moved the ball really well offensively all night, but were really good early and got some stops that helped us get some things in transition. We had some guys who maybe haven't been hitting as many, hit some shots. Nate made some basketball early that got us going."

But Minot State couldn't get the stops it needed in the second half. Northern State (5-4, 1-2) shot 54 percent from the field, making 25 for 46 and knocked down 31 of 36 free throws, outscoring Minot Sate 31-13 from the line. The Wolves took 18 more free throws in the game.

"We put them on the foul line a lot in the second half," said Murken. "We had a stretch of three turnovers in five possessions (after the under 10 media timeout) and that was costly. They got some baskets in transitions. We need to answer that momentum change better."

NSU had good balance as they have five players score from 14 to 17 points, paced by Carter Evans' 17 and nine rebounds. DJ Pollard, Darin Peterka, and Ian Smith all finished with 16, while Mack Arvidson scored 14 in the win.

Minot State had two in double figures led by Tyler Rudolph (So., F, Bismarck, N.D.) who dropped in 21. He also led MSU with seven rebounds and added two assists. Merten's netted a career-high with 18 points and finished with two assists. Davis hit three 3-pointers for nine points, while Luis Ricci Maia (So., G, Franca, Sao Paulo, Brazil) scored eight points and dished out nine assists.

The Beavers are on the road for two NSIC games next weekend, traveling to the University of Sioux Falls and Southwest Minnesota State.

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.