BOLIVAR, Mo. -- Senior David Akibo scored 24 points, but Southwest Baptist used a 7-0 run late in the second half to pull away from Minot State on its way to an 80-71 victory in the Beavers season opener on Friday in the Southwest Baptist Classic on Hammons Court.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Minot State led by as many as 12 points in the first half and took a 40-36 lead into the intermission
• David Akibo led the Beavers with 12 first-half points, while Max Cody and Kyle Beisch each had seven points
• Minot State shot 48.3 percent from the floor in the first half led by Nibra White who was 3-of-5 and Kody Dwyer who was 2-for-2 from the floor
• Southwest Baptist took the lead for good at 61-59 on a three-pointer by Quinn Nelson with 8:31 to play in the game
• The Bearcats build the lead to as many as 11 points down the stretch
• David Akibo had 12 second-half points to lead Minot State

BEAVER TRACKS

• David Akibo scored 24 points to lead Minot State
• Max Cody had 14 points and five assists for the Beavers
• Kyle Beisch also reached double figures for Minot State with 12 points on 5-of-11 shooting
• Nibra White finished with eight points off the bench
• David Akibo led the Beavers with six rebounds
• Dorian Aluyi recorded five boards for the Beavers​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

TEAM NOTES

• Minot State dropped its season opener and fell to 0-1 on the season
• Minot State shot 43.3 percent from the floor
• Southwest Baptist outrebounded the Beavers 42-33

UP NEXT
Minot State will continue play in the Southwest Baptist Classic as it faces Lincoln on Saturday (Nov. 10) at 2 p.m.