LANCASTER, Texas -- Senior
Tyler Rudolph scored a career-high 37 points leading Minot State to a 78-50 victory over Henderson State in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference/Great American Conference Challenge on Saturday.
Rudolph was dominant in surpassing his previous career high of 34 points scored last season against Sioux Falls. He shot 14-of-20 from the floor and was 7-of-7 from the free throw line to finish with 37 points. He also added six rebounds and a blocked shot in 30 minutes of action.
"We played with a great defensive mindset today," said Minot State head coach
Matt Murken. "We are learning and getting better all the time, but our seniors really led us today."
Minot State improved to 2-0 on the season following its second straight double-digit victory. The Beavers opened the challenge with an 84-70 victory over Southern Arkansas and then followed with a 28-point win over the Reddies.
Minot State shot 49.0 percent from the floor and 84.6 percent from the free throw line in the win against Henderson State. The Beavers also owned a 34-22 rebounding advantage and forced Henderson State into 19 turnovers.
Senior Russ Davis added 16 points and four rebounds for the Beavers, while Nathaniel Moore had eight points and David Akibo finished with seven points.
Luis Ricci Maia had four points, nine rebounds, five assists and a steal for Minot State.
Henderson State, which dropped to 1-1 overall, held an 8-4 lead with 17:22 to play in the first half before the Beavers took the lead for good with a 9-0 run.
Brandon Green converted two free throws and Rudolph hit two free throws, a three-pointer and two more jumpers to give the Beavers a 15-8 lead with 12:10 to play in the first period. Ricci Maia capped the run with a jumper that pushed the Minot State lead to 17-8 at the 11:12 mark of the first half.
After Henderson State trimmed the lead to 17-12, Rudolph and Davis answered with back-to-back three-pointers helping the Beavers extend the lead to 25-12 with 6:55 to play before halftime.
Rudolph scored 20 points in the first half as Minot State took a 33-22 lead into the intermission.
The Reddies whittled the lead to 35-27 early in the second period, but Minot State put the game away with a 9-0 run. Rudolph scored five points during the run which helped the Beavers take a 44-27 lead with 12:40 remaining in the second half.
Minot State closed the game with a 12-0 run to make the final score 78-50.
Minot State will make its home debut on Tuesday (Nov. 14) against Mayville State in the Minot State Dome.
