MOORHEAD, MN – Happy wins to all the Beavers and to all the Beavers a good night! The Minot State men's basketball team returned to action on the road and displayed an exceptional performance at the Nemzek Fieldhouse versus the MSU Moorhead Dragons, collecting a dominant 76-52 win.
Caleb Van De Griend registered a double-double with 18 points and 14 rebounds to lead the Beavers over the Minnesota State-Moorhead Dragons on Friday.
In addition to Van De Griend's double-double, the Beavers (14-0, 5-0) were led by Sam West, who put up 14 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals, and by Ayouba Berthe, who tacked on 15 points.
The Beavers came out with a good start to the contest as Berthe and the Beavers established things on their own terms early.
"That's our team identity, defend. That is where it starts. Defending, and the offense will come," Berthe stated.
Minot State grabbed 42 rebounds in Friday's game compared to Minnesota State-Moorhead's 29, led by Van De Griend's 14 boards. The Beavers also cleaned up the offensive glass, turning 13 rebounds into 19 second chance points.
Minot State's defense held Minnesota State-Moorhead to only 35.3 percent shooting from the field, including 25 percent from beyond the arc. The Dragons did not have much luck cleaning up their misses on the offensive glass either, as they finished with 9 offensive rebounds and managed 9 second chance points while Minot State cleared 29 defensive rebounds.
How It Happened
After falling behind 17-16, Minot State went on an 8-0 run with 6:46 left in the first half, culminating in a three from Jaxon Gunville, to take a 24-17 lead. The Beavers then lost some of that lead, but still entered halftime with a 30-26 advantage. Minot State relied on its three-point shooting in the period, knocking down 4 shots to account for 12 of its 30 points.
Minot State kept its lead intact before going on an 8-0 run to grow the lead to 38-27 with 17:01 to go in the contest. The Beavers kept expanding the margin and coasted the rest of the way for the 76-52 win. Minot State took care of business in the paint, recording 30 of its 46 points in the lane.
Game Notes
» Caleb Van De Griend notched a double-double for the Beavers with 18 points and 14 rebounds.
» The Beavers shot well from three point range, knocking down 7 of 15 long range attempts.
» The Beavers held the Dragons to only 35.3 percent shooting from the field.
» Minot State never trailed in the second half on its way to victory.
» Minot State had a 42-29 edge on the boards in the win.
» Minot State cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 13 offensive boards in the game.
» Caleb Van De Griend led the Beavers with a game-high 18 points.
» Minot State got a game-high 14 rebounds from Caleb Van De Griend.
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