MINOT, N.D. – The Minot State men's basketball program was looking for its first win in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference postseason tournament Wednesday night, but unfortunately for the Beavers they'll have to look for that win next season.

Minot State fell to Upper Iowa in the first round of the NSIC tournament in Fayette, Iowa, 97-85. The Peacocks move onto the quarterfinal round and face Minnesota State Moorhead on Sunday, March 1.

"One thing that's been a constant all year long with this team is their tremendous effort," Minot State head coach Matt Murken said. "We've competed every game win or lose. That's something other coaches have always commented on and we take a great deal of pride in that. That was certainly the case again tonight."

The Beavers held their own in the first half much in part due to the team's two main post threats. Lamont Prosser (Sr., F, Fort Wayne, Ind.) had 13 points to his name and Tyler Rudolph (Fr., F, Bismarck, N.D.) dropped eight points in the first half keeping the game close as the Beavers head to the locker room at halftime down just one.

Both teams shot the ball well as Upper Iowa ended the half with a shooting percentage of 54.5 percent and the Beavers shot 55.9 percent from the field.

The second half was a different story for the Beavers.

Minot State failed to score a field goal in a 4:58 stretch beginning around the 15-minute mark and the Peacocks stretched their lead to 16, their largest lead of the game.

"We missed a lot of opportunities from the field and at the foul line," Murken said. "They were able to stretch their lead there."

Trying to cut into the lead quickly and get back into the game, the Beavers hit a pair of three-pointers in a one-minute stretch just before the three-minute mark of the second half, but overall Minot State struggled to hit shots from behind the arc and in the second half. Minot State ended the game shooting 30.4 percent from behind the arc, nine percentage points below its season average.

Prosser led the way with a team-high 20 points and added six rebounds to his stats. Everett Robinson (Sr., G, Grand Junction, Colo.) finished the game with 19 points, while Tyler Rudolph added 17 and had a team-high seven rebounds.

Upper Iowa's Bo Pagel led all scorers with 30 points.

Wednesday night's game marked the end of Minot State's three seniors' collegiate careers. Thomas Korf (Sr., F, St. Cloud, Minn.), Prosser and Robinson all end their careers having scored over 1,000 points.

"I'm really proud and have a tremendous respect for the work and the belief from the guys," Murken said. "The leadership of the seniors has been great and they've helped us take big steps."

With the loss, the Beavers end the 2014-15 season with an overall record of 14-15. The Beavers nine conference wins equals their total from the 2012-13 season, and their 14 overall wins are the most since joining Division II and the NSIC.