MINOT, N.D. – Minot State University's comeback fell a little short.

The Beavers went on a 25-5 run in the second half to cut a 22-point St. Cloud State lead to just two, but never took the lead in the second half as SCSU held off the Beavers 90-85 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference men's basketball Friday at Halenbeck Hall.

Minot State (14-13 overall, 9-12 NSIC) went cold late in the first half and it extended into the second as the Beavers went nearly eight minutes without a field goal.

The Huskies (17-10, 13-8), meanwhile, got hot from beyond the arc to build the big lead. St. Cloud State hit eight 3-pointers in the first half and ended with 11 3s in the game.

But the Beavers never went away as freshman Tyler Rudolph (F, Bismarck, N.D.) scored 16 of his game-high 22 points in the second half. Rudolph finished with nine rebounds and a steal to go with his points.

After SCSU's Donnell Cegers put this team up 56-34 with 17:19 to play in the game, MSU went to work. It became a one-possession game on a 3-pointer by Michael Pelo (Jr., G, Charleston, Utah) at the 9:29 mark, capping a 25-5 run in just six minutes of play.

SCSU, however, collected itself after a couple of timeouts and the under 10 media timeout, never relinquishing the lead. The Huskies only hit 16 of 23 free throws in the game, but were 5 for 6 in the final 40 seconds.

Jordan Poydras continued to be a thorn the Beavers' side as he finished with 30 points, scoring 23 of his team's 46 in the second half. Scottie Stone scored 22 points, hitting five 3-pointers, including a huge one for SCSU with just over a minute to play.

Everett Robinson (Sr., G, Grand Junction, Colo.) continued to shine in multiple areas for the Beavers as he notched another double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds to go along with two assists. Pelo hit four 3-pointers for his 13 points as he added six rebounds. Thomas Korf (Sr., F, St. Cloud, Minn.) and Dominique McDonald (Jr., G, Raleigh, N.C.) scored 11 each for MSU in the loss.

MSU finished with a 38-31 advantage on the boards, turned the ball over just eight times in the game and finished with 18 assists total. McDonald paced the Beavers with seven assists. Mainly behind the play of Rudolph and Pelo, MSU held a sizeable 37-12 advantage in bench scoring.

The Beavers, who will finish as the No. 5 seed in the NSIC North, plays at Minnesota Duluth in the regular-season finale Saturday starting at 6 p.m.