CROOKSTON, Minn. – After a pair of hot-shooting games last weekend, Minot State's offense cooled off, but the result remained the same as the Beavers pulled out a 68-61 hard-fought victory at Minnesota Crookston on Friday night.
Minot State improves to 13-15 (8-11 NSIC) while the Golden Eagles fall to 15-13 (8-11 NSIC) on the season.
Leaders
Minot State
Kyle Beisch: 15 points, 2 assists, 2 steals, 1 rebound
David Akibo: 11 points, 13 rebounds
UMC
Harrison Cleary: 19 points, 4 assists, 2 rebounds, 1 steal
How It Happened
- Strong defense led to a low-scoring affair early as the Golden Eagles clung to a 13-11 lead with 10:43 remaining in the first half.
- Beisch knocked down a trey to give the Beavers a 21-20 advantage before UMC capped the half with a 6-2 rally to lead 26-23 at halftime.
- Max Cody's jumped with 9:38 left gave Minot State its first lead in the second half at 40-39.
- Minnesota Crookston took its final lead of the game on the following possession as the Beaver defense kept control of the UMC offense from taking over in the final eight minutes.
- The Golden Eagles climbed back to tie the game at 50 with 3:54 remaining.
- Beisch and Akibo combined for a 6-0 run and Minot State never looked back as the Beavers didn't allow the Golden Eagles to cut into the deficit anymore.
- The Beavers ended the game on an 18-9 over the final four minutes before UMC added a layup at the buzzer.
Inside the Box Score
- Minot State shot 45.5 percent from the floor, including 59.3 percent from the field in the second half while holding the Golden Eagles to a 39.7 percent shooting mark.
- UMC notched a slim 38-36 advantage in rebounding over the Beavers.
- Minot State forced Minnesota Crookston into 13 turnovers and capitalized on the opportunities with a 14-3 scoring advantage in points off turnovers.
- Beisch paced the Beavers with 15 points, followed by Dorian Aluyi with 14 points.
- Akibo garnered his ninth double-double of the season with 11 points and 13 rebounds.
- Cody chipped in nine points and dished out four assists, moving to 23 assists away from tying Luis Ricci Maia's single-season record in the DII era for the most assists.
- Kody Dwyer and Nibra White tallied seven points apiece in the victory.
What's Next
Minot State remains on the road as the Beavers take on Bemidji State in Bemidji, Minn. tomorrow evening at 5:30 p.m.
