MINOT, N.D. -- Senior Tyler Rudolph scored 27 points, but Caleb Wagner scored 23 points leading Winona State to a 70-65 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference victory over Minot State on Friday in the Minot State Dome.

With his 27 points, Rudolph moved to within three points of the Minot State career scoring record of 1,826 held by Paul Harrell.

Minot State, which dropped to 17-4 overall and 11-4 in the NSIC, had two opportunities to tie the game late in the second half.

After a turnover by Mason Domask with 32 seconds to play, the Beavers had a chance to knot the score but a three-pointer was off the mark by Luis Ricci Maia.

The Beavers intentionally fouled Devin Whitelow with 13 seconds to play and he missed the front end of a one-and-one, which was rebounded by David Akibo. Rudolph then misfired on a three-point attempt with seven seconds remaining in the game.

Kevion Taylor added two free throws with 1.9 to play to seal the victory for Winona State, which improved to 14-7 overall and 9-6 in conference play.

Minot State, which shot 47.3 percent from the floor, also received 12 points and four assists from Ricci Maia and 10 points from Russ Davis.

Winona State also received 13 points from Taylor and 10 points from Corey Jeffs.

Minot State raced out to a 9-0 lead and held a 14-point lead with 10:43 to play in the first half before the Warriors rallied.

A jumper by Ricci Maia gave the Beavers a 27-14 lead with 7:51 to play in the first half, but Winona State answered with a 10-0 run to climb to within 27-24 at the 4:51 mark of the first half.

Rudolph responded with a three-pointer for the Beavers to up the lead to 30-24, but Charlie Koontz and Taylor hit back-to-back three-pointers to tie the game at 30-30 with 3:23 remaining in the first half.

Davis answered the two three-pointers with a layup to put the Beavers back in front, but Winona State closed the half on an 8-0 run to take a 38-32 lead into intermission.

The Beavers rallied twice in the second half to tie the game, but were never able to regain the lead.

Minot State's final push came after a layup by Wagner gave the Warriors a 68-59 lead with 3:36 to play in the second half. Rudolph knocked down a pair of free throws and Ricci Maia hit a jumper to trim the lead to 68-63 with 2:40 to play in the game.

A layup by Akibo, who finished with nine points and 11 rebounds, brought Minot State to within 68-65 with 1:00 to play in the second half.

Minot State returns to action on Saturday (Jan. 27) when it hosts Upper Iowa at 6 p.m. in the Minot State Dome.