MINOT, N.D. -- The Minot State men's basketball team will conclude the road portion of the 2017-18 schedule at Minnesota Duluth and St. Cloud State this weekend. The Beavers will face Minnesota Duluth on Friday (Feb. 9) and visit St. Cloud State on Saturday (Feb. 10).

Minot State, which is 17-7 overall and 11-7 in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, is currently third in the NSIC North Division standings and need one win in the final four regular season games to secure the number three seed for the upcoming NSIC Tournament. St. Cloud State is in second place in the North Division with 14-4 conference, while Minnesota Duluth is in sixth place with a 5-13 conference ledger.

The Beavers will try and shake a four-game losing streak on Friday when it plays at Minnesota Duluth. Minot State has won five straight games against the Bulldogs, including an 80-71 win earlier this season in the Minot State Dome. Senior Tyler Rudolph scored 32 points in the win over Minnesota Duluth, while David Akibo had 10 points and 10 rebounds. Luis Ricci Maia added 13 points and seven assists and Russ Davis scored 16 points for the Beavers.

Minot State also won the first meeting of the year against St. Cloud State as the Beavers prevailed 82-80 in the Dome. Rudolph led the Beavers with 27 points in the win, while Ricci Maia had 23 points and 12 assists. Akibo finished with 15 points and Brandon Green was 4-of-4 from the floor and had 11 points. Despite the victory, St. Cloud State still leads the all-time series with Minot State 7-4 and the Beavers have not won in St. Cloud, Minn., since a 68-62 win on Jan. 5, 2013.

Minot State is ranked second in the NSIC in field goal percentage (.495), third in free throw percentage (.768), third in fewest turnovers committed per game (9.8) and third in points allowed per game (71.5).

Individually, Rudolph is ranked second in the conference in scoring (21.1 ppg), third in field goal percentage (.599), sixth in free throw percentage (.841) and eighth in rebounds per game (7.2 rpg). Ricci Maia is currently second in the conference in assists per game (6.4 apg), 11th in steals per game (1.3 spg) and 37th in the conference in scoring (12.2 ppg).

Minot State is 12-0 this season when collecting more rebounds than the opponent and 10-0 when shooting a higher three-point field goal percentage than the opposition. The Beavers have also notched a 16-1 record when shooting a higher percentage from the field and are 16-2 when handing out more assists than the opponent.

Following this weekend's games, the Beavers will play their final two games of the season in the Minot State Dome. The Beavers will host Minnesota Crookston on Feb. 16 and conclude the regular season against Bemidji State on Feb. 17.