MINOT, N.D. -- After spending the last month in the comfortable surroundings of the Minot State Dome, the Minot State men's basketball team will open the road portion of its Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference schedule with road games at Augustana and Wayne State this weekend.

The Beavers will face Augustana on Friday (Dec. 8) at 8 p.m. and then meet Wayne State on Saturday (Dec. 9) at 6 p.m.

Yes, the Beavers opened the season in Lancaster, Texas and yes, the Beavers played an exhibition game at Valley City State, but this will be the first real road test of the season for Minot State.

"Our guys are prepared to handle going on the road," said head coach Matt Murken. "We have experienced guys who have played in these buildings in front of these crowds before. My guys know how to respond in these situations."

Minot State, which is 8-1 overall and 2-1 in the NSIC, last played away from Minot, N.D. on Nov. 11 at Henderson State. Since then the Beavers have posted a 6-1 record in seven consecutive home contests.

Minot State will face a serious challenge as both the Augustana and Wayne State both bring 6-3 overall records into the game. Wayne State is 2-1 in the NSIC, while the Vikings are 1-2 in conference play.

The Beavers are led by seniors Tyler Rudolph and Luis Ricci Maia. Rudolph leads the NSIC shooting 62.2 percent from the field and ranks second in the league in scoring (23.8) and seventh in rebounding (7.4). Ricci Maia is ranked second in the conference in assists per game (6.6), assist to turnover ratio (3.3) and steals (1.8).

David Akibo also averages in double figures scoring 11.3 points per game and ranks second on the team averaging 7.2 rebounds per contest. Nathaniel Moore has been critical for the Beavers off the bench as he averages 10.0 points and 3.0 rebounds per game.

Minot State has committed only 81 turnovers on the season and has turned the ball over less than 10 times in six of the last seven games.