ST. PAUL, Minn. – Minot State University knocked down two huge 3-pointers in the final 1:07 to hold off Concordia-St. Paul 74-70 for a key Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference road win Saturday at the Gengelhoff Center.
 
The Beavers (8-10 overall, 4-8 NSIC) led 67-66 with just 1:07 to play in the game before getting the first of two big 3s. Trevor Rothstein, who was limited to just two minutes in the game due to an injury, hit a triple off a feed from Luis Ricci Maia. After free throw from CSP, it was Maia's turn, knocking down a 3 late in the shot clock.
 
"That was a gutsy road win," said MSU head coach Matt Muken. "We have a couple guys banged up and then ran into some foul trouble. Our execution down the stretch was excellent and Trevor hit a huge three. I'm very proud of him for staying mentally in the game despite being hurt and questionable if he could play.
 
"We've been on our guys about winning the mental battle and that showed some real toughness for him to get himself ready to go, execute and then knock in the shot."
 
The win snapped a three-game losing streak for MSU.
 
Three pointers were the key for MSU most of the contest. The Beavers knocked down 12 in the game, nearly half of their total of 26 field goals. In the first half, the 3 kept MSU in the game, including a long 3 just before the halftime buzzer by Maia to give Minot State a 34-33 halftime lead.
 
MSU also limited CSP (4-15, 1-11) to just four 3s for the game, two coming in the final two minutes as well. The Golden Bears hit just 4 of 15 from beyond the arc, but held an 18-10 advantage from the line, taking 10 more free throws than MSU.
 
The Golden Bears had four players in double figures led by Diallo Powell's 17 off the bench. Ted Brown scored 13 and Bryndan Matthews finished with 10 points and nine rebounds for CSP.
 
The Beavers had great balance as eight of nine players scored and four reached double figures. Tyler Rudolph had a great second half to finish with a game-high 24 points and added nine rebounds and two assists in the win. Russ Davis hit 6 of 8 3-pointers on his way to 18 points and Nathan Mertens finished with 11 points, seven assists and four rebounds. Maia chipped in with 10 points, five rebounds and four assists for the Beavers.
 
MSU returns home for a pair of NSIC North Division games this weekend, playing host to Bemidji State Friday and Minnesota Crookston Saturday.
 
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.