MARSHALL, MN -- Max Cody and Melvin Newbern dominate offensively to lead Minot State to an 82-65 victory over the Southwest Minnesota State Mustangs on the road Saturday.
MSU improves to 2-2 on the season with the win and SMSU falls to 2-2 with the loss. The Beavers open conference play next weekend against St. Cloud State on the road and the Mustangs travel to Upper Iowa to begin the NSIC section of their schedule.
The Beavers had three players score in double figures, led by Max Cody, who had 24 points. Melvin Newbern tacked on 23 points, six rebounds, six assists, and five steals and Cam'ron Dunfee added 16 points and three steals.
The Minot State defense was effective at taking away the basketball in Saturday's game, forcing 16 Southwest Minnesota State turnovers while committing nine. Those takeaways turned into 18 points on the other end of the floor. Newbern's five steals led the way individually for the Beavers.
How It Happened
After falling behind 2-0, Minot State went on a 12-0 run with 19:16 left in the first half, culminating in a bucket from Kody Dwyer, to take a 12-2 lead. The Beavers then added two points to that lead by the end of the period and entered halftime with a 40-28 advantage. Minot State did most of its first-half damage in the paint, scoring 22 of its 40 points close to the basket.
Minot State kept its lead intact before going on a 6-0 run to grow the lead to 75-57 with 1:59 to go in the contest. The Mustangs narrowed the margin somewhat before the game was over, but the Beavers still cruised the rest of the way for the 82-65 win. Minot State got out on the break in the period, scoring 10 fast breakpoints.
Game Notes
» The Beavers made half of their attempts from three-point range, knocking down seven of 14 shots.
» Minot State never trailed in the second half on its way to victory.
» Cody, Newbern, and Dunfee combined to account for 77 percent of the Beavers points.
» The Minot State defense forced 16 turnovers.
» Cody had a game-high 24 points to push his career point total to 975.
» Newbern scored a career-high 23 points (8-12 FG) with a team-high six rebounds, six assists, and five steals.
The Beavers are back in action on Friday, Jan. 15, when they will take on St. Cloud State University on the road at 6 p.m.
