MINOT, ND --The Minot State men's basketball team shot 50 percent from beyond the arc on the way to a dominant 83-52 win against the Minnesota-Crookston Golden Eagles at home on Tuesday.

The Beavers (7-0, 1-0) had four players score in double figures, led by Sam West, who had 21 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals. Jalen Cook added 20 points and Ayouba Berthe helped out with 12 points.

Offensively, Minot State was impressive from deep as they poured in 10 threes on 20 attempts. Cook hit 4 treys for the Beavers in the contest.

Not only was the shooting performance stout, but the Minot State defense also came to play. They caused a share of mistakes in Tuesday's game, forcing 13 Minnesota-Crookston turnovers. Those takeaways turned into 16 points on the offensive end of the floor. West's 3 steals led the way individually for the Beavers.

The Beavers kicked off the conference portion of the season with a bang. West and the Beavers were pleased following the outcome at the Dome.

"It feels really good getting the first conference win…just feels good to defend our home court today," West said.

Defense and shooting went well together for the Beavers in the win.

"It took a team effort to do that…offensively, I think we moved the ball pretty well. We got their defense in tough situations and we all just made the right play today," West mentioned.

Minot State heads on the road for some additional non-conference duels looking to add to their hot stretch to begin the season.

How It Happened
After jumping out to a 31-23 advantage, Minot State went on an 8-0 run with 4:31 left in the first half, culminating in a three from Jaxon Gunville to increase the lead to 39-23. The Beavers then lost some of that lead, but still entered halftime with a 44-31 advantage. Minot State relied on its three-point shooting in the half, knocking down 9 shots to account for 27 of its 44 points.

Following halftime, Minot State kept widening that lead, expanding it to 66-46 before going on a 6-0 run to grow the lead to 72-46 with 4:49 to go in the contest. The Beavers kept expanding the margin and coasted the rest of the way for the 83-52 win. Minot State took care of business in the paint, recording 24 of its 39 points in the lane.
 
 
Game Notes
» The Beavers made half of their attempts from three point range, knocking down 10 of 20 shots.
» The Beavers held the Golden Eagles to only 36.7 percent shooting from the field.
» Minot State never trailed in the second half on its way to victory.
» Minot State had a 38-26 edge on the boards in the win.
» The Minot State defense forced 13 turnovers.
» Sam West had a game-high 21 points and Jalen Cook added 20.
» Minot State got a game-high 9 rebounds from Caleb Van De Griend.
 
This article was created using technology provided by Data Skrive.