MINOT, N.D. -- The Minot State men's basketball team will begin a four game road trip by visiting Southwest Minnesota State and Sioux Falls in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference action this weekend.

The Beavers will face Southwest Minnesota State on Friday (Feb. 2) at 8 p.m. and then play Sioux Falls on Saturday (Feb. 3) at 6 p.m.

Minot State, which is 17-5 overall and 11-5 in conference play, will attempt to bring a halt to a two-game losing streak this weekend. The Beavers dropped home games last weekend to Winona State and Upper Iowa, which marked the first time all season Minot State has lost back-to-back games.

Minot State is currently in third place in the NSIC North, one half game behind St. Cloud State who is 11-4 in conference play. The Beavers enjoy a five-game bulge over fourth-place Bemidji State who is 6-10 in league action. Northern State occupies the top spot in the North Division with a 14-2 conference record.

Senior Luis Ricci Maia has reached double figures in scoring in 10 straight games for the Beavers and is averaging 15.8 points and 6.0 assists per game during that stretch. He is shooting 53.7 percent from the floor, 54.5 percent from the three-point line and 88.9 percent from the free throw line over the last 10 games. He scored a career-high 25 points versus Minnesota State on Jan. 12 and scored 23 against St. Cloud State on Dec. 30.

Senior Tyler Rudolph became the school's all-time career scoring leader last weekend against Upper Iowa and leads the Beavers averaging 21.8 points per game. Rudolph ranks second in the NSIC in scoring and is shooting 60.3 percent from the floor, which also ranks second in the league. He has reached double figures in scoring in all 22 games this season and has posted double figures in scoring in 42 straight games overall.

Junior David Akibo tops the Beavers averaging 7.3 rebounds per contest, which ranks fifth in the NSIC. He also ranks 15th in the conference averaging 0.8 blocks per game and is 31st in the NSIC averaging 12.6 points per game. Akibo has reached double figures in scoring in 11 of the last 14 games and has three double-doubles on the year.

Senior Russ Davis has reached double figures in scoring in three straight games and is shooting 57.1 percent from the floor and 40.0 percent from the three-point line in the last three contests.

Southwest Minnesota State enters the weekend with a 15-7 overall record and an 11-5 mark in the NSIC. The Mustangs are currently in second place in the NSIC South Division and snapped a two-game losing streak with a victory over Northern State last weekend. Southwest Minnesota State leads the all-time series with Minot State 6-0, which includes a 74-64 win over the Beavers last year.

Sioux Falls is currently 14-8 overall and 9-7 in the NSIC. The Cougars, who are 2-2 in their last four games, hold an 8-2 advantage over the Beavers in the all-time series. Minot State defeated Sioux Falls last year in the regular season, but the Cougars downed the Beavers in the NSIC Tournament.