WINONA, Minn. – Minot State University couldn't buy a bucket late in the second half.

The Beavers battled No. 3 seed Winona State back and forth much of the way, but the Warriors pulled away over the final eight minutes.

WSU outscored MSU 55-37 in the second half to post a 94-75 win in the first round of the 2016 NSIC / Men's Basketball Tournament Wednesday at McCown Gymnasium.

Minot State (15-14 overall) took its final lead 47-45 on a layup by Dominique McDonald (Sr., G, Raleigh, N.C.) with 17:31 to play in the second half. It was still just a one possession game with 9:34 to play as Tyler Rudolph (So., F, Bismarck, N.D.) hit a pair of free throws to cut the Warriors lead to 66-63.

But it was all Winona State after that.

The Warriors (15-12) held Minot State without a field goal for 5 minutes, 26 seconds during a span and outscored the Beavers 16-8 during a stretch midway through the second half to take a 77-67 lead with just 5:59 to play. The Beavers couldn't cut it below an eight point lead from there.

In a stark contrast a Minot State win in January during the regular season, the Warriors shot 55.7 compared to just 34.9 for Minot State. MSU was outscored 33-12 on 3-pointers as MSU was held to just 4 of 20 shooting from beyond the arc.

Kyle Bauman led all scorers, hitting 11 of 15 shots from the field to finish with 25 points. He added eight rebounds and two blocks in the win for WSU. Isaiah Gray went 6 for 9 from the field and 8 for 9 from the free throw line to finish with 21.

Rudolph finished his excellent sophomore season with 16 points, eight rebounds and a blocked shot to pace the Beavers. Nathan Mertens (Jr., G, Devils Lake, N.D.0 added 12 points and four rebounds, while Chris Davis (Sr., G, Colorado Springs, Colo.) scored 11 and added five rebounds for the Beavers.

McDonald finished with eight points and ended his career with 1,049 points, good for 14th all-time on the Beavers scoring list. He also finished with 396 assists, 300 rebounds and 106 steals.

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.