WAYNE, Neb. – Minot State University started slow and unfortunately finished the same way as Wayne State College pulled away down the stretch for a 91-82 win in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference men's basketball Saturday at Rice Arena.
 
The Beavers (10-11 overall, 5-10 NSIC) trailed by as many as 12 in the first half, but closed that gap to just three at halftime. MSU took a couple two-point leads in the second half, but never could push those further and Wayne State (5-16, 3-12) had a late run in front of their home crowd.
 
The loss spoiled a solid night for senior Dominique McDonald (G, Raleigh, N.C.) who tied with Winston Williams (Sr., F, Plainfield, Ill.) with a team-high 14 points. He pulled to within just five points of 1,000 career points.
 
Minot State took its first lead of the contest on a Michael Pelo (Sr., G, Charleston, Utah) jumper with 10:46 to play. McDonald broke a tie a minute later and Brandon Pines (Sr., F, Jessup, Md.) gave MSU its final lead 63-62 with 7:34 to play on a free throw, but the Wildcats outscored Minot State 30-18 from there.
 
David Andersen was 9 for 9 from the free throw line and scored 19 points to lead six players in double figures for WSC. He added eight rebounds. Jordan Cornelius finished with 18 points and added eight rebounds in the win. The Wildcats hit 27 of 35 free throws in the game, outscoring Minot State 27-13 from the line as the Beavers had a rare off night from the line, shooting just 56.5 percent.
 
Along with McDonald and Williams, Pelo (12) and Chris Davis (Sr., G, Colorado Springs, Colo.) (10) both reached double figures. Williams had six rebounds and Davis added five boards and five steals to pace MSU.
 
Minot State will look to regroup against a very tough opponent to do so, traveling to No. 1 ranked Augustana University Sunday for a 3 p.m. start.

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.