BISMARCK, N.D. – Senior Larry Overstreet rushed for 190 yards and three touchdowns and Minot State won possession of the Battle of the Big Lake Trophy for the third consecutive year with a 27-19 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference victory over Mary on Saturday at the MDU Resources Community Bowl.

"It definitely was a team win," said Minot State head coach Mike Aldrich. "We struggled at times, but came out in the third quarter and battled back."

Overstreet helped seal the first victory of the season for the Beavers when he raced 76 yards for a touchdown with 1:02 to play in the fourth quarter to push the Minot State lead to 27-19.

Minot State, which improved to 1-4 on the year and 1-4 in the NSIC, clinched the victory when linebacker Nikko Walker intercepted a pass at the Beaver 47-yard line with 22 seconds remaining in the game.

The Beaver special teams unit led to Minot State taking the lead for good early in the fourth quarter.

Punter JoseLuis Moreno pinned the Marauders deep in their own territory when his 38-yard punt was downed on the Mary 4-yard line. On Mary's first snap on the ensuing drive, Colton Farmer coughed up the ball and Bryce Broome pounced on the loose ball giving Minot State great field position.

It took Minot State just one play to find the end zone as Overstreet barreled in from four yards out to trim the Mary lead to 19-18 with 12:43 remaining in the game.

Aldrich, who notched his first win as the Minot State head coach, reached into his bag of tricks to give the Beavers the lead for good. The Beavers faked the extra point attempt and Taylor Maloney raced in giving Minot State a 20-19 lead.

"Those four plays, the punt, the fumble recovery, the touchdown and the two-point conversion really turned the game for us," Aldrich said.

The Beaver defense took over for the remainder of the game.

Broome picked off Logan Nelson at the Minot State 23-yard line on a 4th-and-9 play to end a drive with 2:00 to play, and Walker intercepted Nelson at the Minot State 47-yard line to end the Marauders final threat.

"We settled in defensively," added Aldrich. "Our guys got comfortable and started to play well. We kept doing our job and it paid off."

Overstreet's three rushing touchdowns is tied for the second-most in Minot State history behind only the four touchdowns scored by Scott Deibert, who accomplished the feat twice, and Ben Zahniser.

The Beaver ground game paid big dividends on Saturday as Minot State piled up a season-high 275 yards. Quarterback Zac Cunha added 46 yards rushing and Hayden Van Winkle chipped in with 41 yards.

The Beavers two interceptions increased their season total to seven and marked the fifth consecutive game in which Minot State has intercepted a pass.

Donnell Vercher led the Minot State defense with 11 tackles, while Walker and Broome each added 10 tackles.

Minot State will have a short week as it hosts Northern State on Thursday (Oct. 5) at 7:05 p.m. in a game that will be televised live on the Midco Sports Network from Herb Parker Stadium.