MINOT, N.D. -- Led by birthday boy Jalen Cook who, the 21st-ranked Minot State men's basketball team shot 50 percent from beyond the arc on the way to a 77-70 win against the Winona State Warriors at the MSU Dome on Saturday in NSIC play.
 

The Beavers (15-3 overall, 10-2 NSIC) had four players score in double figures, led by Cook, who had 18 points and two steals. Connor Hollenbeck tacked on a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds and Ben Bohl helped out with 10 points.

"It felt good, you know," Cook said of his performance as he hit 7-of-9 shots from the field and 2-of-3 3-pointers. "We know our rim so we got to a few lucky bounces tonight, but it was good to get a win and shoot good too."

Celebrating his birthday with his family in town, and with the Beavers' seventh straight victory, also was a highlight.

"It means a lot," Cook said, adding, "my parents, they have always supported me. The last time they came up I didn't play too good so it's always nice to play good when they come and watch."
 

The Minot State offense was strong from three-point land, knocking down 10 threes on 20 attempts. Jaxon Gunville hit two treys for the Beavers in the contest.
 

How It Happened

After falling behind 4-0, Minot State went on an 11-0 run with 18:42 left in the first half, culminating in a bucket from Caleb Van De Griend, to take an 11-4 lead. The Beavers then added six points to that lead by the end of the period and entered halftime with a 43-30 advantage. Minot State relied on its three-point shooting in the period, knocking down six shots to account for 18 of its 43 points.

The Beavers responded to a Winona State comeback with three-pointers as the Warriors grabbed a 57-56 advantage before a three by Hollenbeck put Minot State back in front for good. Gunville and Cook added 3s in a 13-4 Beaver run, and a Kameron Givens' layup grew the lead to 71-61 with 3:00 to go in the contest. The Warriors narrowed the margin somewhat before the game was over, but the Beavers still cruised the rest of the way for the 77-70 win. Minot State got a boost from its bench in the period, as non-starters accounted for 24 of its 34 total points.

 

Game Notes

» Connor Hollenbeck notched a double-double for the Beavers with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
» The Beavers made half of their attempts from three-point range, knocking down 10 of 20 shots.
» The Minot State bench made an impact by adding 35 points to its scoring output.
» Jalen Cook and Kameron Givens came off the bench to score 18 and 10 points, respectively.
» Jalen Cook led the Beavers with 18 points.
» Minot State got a game-high 10 rebounds from Connor Hollenbeck.

This article was created using technology provided by Data Skrive.