BEMIDJI, Minn. – Minot State University's Michael Pelo (Sr., G, Charleston, Utah) carried the Beavers in the first half and Tyler Rudolph (So., F, Bismarck, N.D.) took over in the second.

Pelo scored 15 of his 20 points in the first half and Rudolph knocked down 22 of his career-high 28 points in the second to help Minot State rally for an 81-79 win over Bemidji State in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference men's basketball Saturday at the BSU Gym.

"We were sort of out of sorts offensive in the first half and Mike carried us," said MSU had coach Matt Murken. "I loved the focus and toughness of our team in the second half. Both games this weekend, we played our best during winning times."

Pelo knocked down six of Minot State's nine 3-pointers in the game and hit 5 of 5 in the first half. He scored 20 points in the game after being held to just five Friday.

Even with Pelo's shooting display, MSU (13-13 overall, 8-12 NSIC) found itself down by eight at the break, 41-33, mainly behind poor shooting. BSU (10-14, 7-13)  held MSU to just 33.3 percent in the first half and hit 51 percent of its own shots.

The second half was just the opposite.

Minot State held Bemidji State to 38 percent and went 16 for 30 from the field. Meanwhile, the MSU Beavers kept hitting free throws – a staple for much of the season – as MSU went 20 for 24 from the stripe. Rudolph was 10 for 10 himself. Minot State outscored Bemidji 48-38 in the second half to sweep the season series and move a game ahead of BSU in the NSIC North standings with two games to play.

William Harvey scored 18 points and added 10 rebounds for Bemidji State in the loss. DJ Anderson dished out 11 assists and finished with 17 points and three rebounds, while Jordan Rhodes and Irvin Womack scored 12 and 11 points respectively.

Dominique McDonald (Sr., G, Raleigh, N.C.) scored nine points and added three assists for MSU. Winston Williams (Sr., F, Plainfield, Ill.) scored eight and Nathan Mertens (Jr., G, Devils Lake, N.D.) added seven points and six assists for MSU.

The Beavers finish off the regular season with a pair of home games next week, taking on St. Cloud State and Minnesota Duluth.

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.