SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Minot State University slowed down No. 1 Augustana University over the first 10 minutes of the first half.
 
The Vikings showed why they are the top ranked team in NCAA Division II from there.
 
Augustana University outscored Minot State 50-29 in the first half and rolled to a 97-65 win over MSU in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference men's basketball Sunday at the Sioux Falls Arena.
 
"They are No. 1 in the country for a reason," MSU head coach Matt Murken said. "They are a great basketball team. You've got to play great to beat the top ranked team on the road. We did that in stretches, but had too many breakdowns over the course of the game.
 
The Beavers (10-12 overall, 5-11 NSIC) took an 8-7 lead on a 3-pointer from Chris Davis (Sr., G, Colorado Springs, Colo.) six minutes in and trailed just 17-14 on a free throw by senior Dominique McDonald (G, Raleigh, N.C.) just in front of the halfway point of the first half.
 
But the Vikings (19-1, 16-0) finished the half on a 33-15 run to begin to pull away. It was the 19th straight win for Augustana University, trying their school record.
 
Turnovers hurt the Beavers as Augie forced 16 MSU miscues and outscored the Beavers 22-7 in points off of turnovers and 18-6 in fastbreak points.
 
"They don't need many mistakes to really make you pay," Murken added.
 
McDonald finished with four points – all from the free throw line – and now has 999 points in his four-year career. He will look to reach 1,000 career points during the Beavers NSIC double header this weekend.
 
Casey Schilling scored 22 points in the win for Augustana University. Alex Richter added 17 and Daniel Jansen scored 13 points and added seven rebounds for the Vikings.
 
Davis paced Minot State with 15 points, five rebounds and two assists. The Beavers distributed the ball well finishing with 15 assists on 22 made baskets. Tyler Rudolph (So., F, Bismarck, N.D.) scored 11 points, added five rebounds and finished with two assists. Luis Ricci Maia (So., G, Franca, Sao Paulo, Brazil) finished with six points, five assists and four assists in the loss.
 
The Beavers take on Concordia-St. Paul Friday at 8 p.m. and Minnesota State Saturday at 6 p.m., in a pair of NSIC games at the MSU Dome.

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.