MINOT, N.D. – Minot State men's basketball has been waiting for a game where the Beavers put it all together.

There isn't a much better night then when the defending NCAA Division II champs come to town.

The Beavers shot 54 percent from the field to build a double-figure lead and then held off a late charge by No. 21 Augustana University to upend the Vikings 88-84 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play Friday at the Minot State Dome.

"Our guys played really hard and fed off some great fans behind us," said MSU head coach Matt Murken. "It wasn't a huge crowd here, but the ones that were here were fired up and we needed that.

"It was a really good effort from our team. We have some room to grow on that end (defensive), but I liked our toughness tonight."

MSU (5-5 overall, 1-3 NSIC) built a 15-point lead with just 7:30 to play in the game on a jumper by Tyler Rudolph, but the Vikings just wouldn't go away. Augie (7-2, 3-1) hit four 3s after the Rudolph bucket to keep it close.

"They kept banging in 3s down the stretch there, we have to do a better job on that," Murken said. "Late we were one rebound from winning the game and couldn't get that rebound."

But the Beavers did hit just enough free throws, knocking down 14 of 16 attempts in the final 1:35 of the game and were efficient on offense down the stretch to earn their first win over a ranked opponent since Jan. 5, 2013.

"This is a big win for us, I'm fired up," said Rudolph. "We knew they were going to be a tough team. This a great win for our guys. It's a credit to the team, we paid attention to the scout all week and locked in when we needed it."

Rudolph was steady once again for MSU. He hit 5 of 6 free throws down the stretch – including 2 for 2 with just over a second to play to ice the game – scored a team-high 22 points and added eight rebounds. But he wasn't alone on offense as five of the seven players who played in the game reached double figures.

"We were pretty solid on offense. I liked our pace. We shot 54 percent and that's pretty good, but I think we can be even better," Murken said. "Nate (Nathan Mertens) and Ricci (Luis Ricci Maia) run the offense so well."

Maia finished with 21 points, four steals, four assists and two rebounds, while Mertens chipped in with 10 points, six assists and three rebounds. Nathaniel Moore added 15 and Seven Jovanovic scored 12 for the Beavers.

The Vikings got a game-high 25 points from Mike Busack as he hit 6 of 12 3-pointers in the contest. Jordan Spencer added 20 points, seven assists and four rebounds in the loss.

Along with the double-figures scorers, MSU's Russ Davis had a fine all-around game, finishing with eight rebound and six points, hitting 2 of 3 3-pointers.

"This is a big win for us on a Friday, but win or lose, we need to get ready for tomorrow," Murken added. "But I might enjoy this one for a little bit."

The Beavers will look to make it two in a row as they entertain Wayne State College Saturday starting at 6 p.m.

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.