SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Coming off a thrilling pair of home games, the No. 4 Minot State men's basketball team is seizing momentum in an electrifying start to 2025 and second half stretch of the regular season.

Now they take their talents on the road with stops coming in Sioux Falls, South Dakota and Marshall, Minnesota as the Beavers seek out continued success with matchups coming against the University of Sioux Falls Cougars and Southwest Minnesota State Mustangs.

Minot State (17-0, 8-0 NSIC) begins the first of a 4-game road stretch with a Friday evening contest against the Cougars (7-7, 3-5 NSIC). Tip-off is at 7:30. Then, another noteworthy matchup follows with Southwest Minnesota State (11-3, 6-2 NSIC), who is second right now in the conference standings. That will begin on Saturday at 5:30 p.m.

In the 20^th meeting between both schools, the Beavers will get an opportunity for revenge against the Mustangs after they were ousted by Southwest Minnesota in the quarterfinals of last year's NSIC Tournament. The Mustangs defeated the Beavers 85-68 back on March 3, 2024.

Against Sioux Falls, Minot has had recent success against the Cougars. In Sioux Falls, the Beavers took care of business in a 79-55 win back on February 24, 2024, in their previous meeting.

Sioux Falls has mixed and matched starting lineups in some parts of the season, with multiple guys stepping up and contributing double-digit point efforts. Noah Puetz, ironically from Marshall, Minnesota, has risen to the occasion in the past couple of games. He leads the team with 13.1 PPG. Taylen Ashley is another player to watch out for, where he has produced 12.1 PPG in all 14 starts. Creighton Morisch is the big man running the paint to the tune of 11.5 PPG and 9.2 RPG.

Southwest will be yet another test for the Beavers. Aeron Stevens can not only score, but he is also the leading rebounder. Even by a slim margin, he goes for 7.0 RPG to go with 15.9 PPG. Jakob Braaten has provided a nice secondary piece to Stevens, adding 12.9 PPG and 6.2 RPG. Both statistical categories are second to Stevens.

The Beavers once again counter with Caleb Van De Griend, who holds down the post position in a dynamic starting five unit. Van De Griend continues at a double-double pace with 19.2 PPG and 12.6 RPG, all while shooting at a brilliant 76 percent from the field. Jalen Cook is also feeling himself as the conference games continue to ramp up. He has upped his total PPG to 15.6. Add all that with Jaxon Gunville who can easily stack points in a hurry with his three-point shooting, which sits at just under 40 percent.
 
Recent Games
The Beavers played some tough, extended basketball against some good schools from Minnesota to begin the new year. In the victory against Winona State last Friday, head coach Matt Murken became the 2^nd most winningest coach in team history with his 176^th win, passing Herb Parker who had 175. That was a triple overtime win where the Beavers propelled themselves over the Warriors 113-104. It did not get any easier as the Beavers welcomed the defending national champions to the MSU Dome, the MSU-Mankato Mavericks on the very next day. It was down to the wire, but the Beavers secured the 75-72 win on last-second free throws. Caleb Van De Griend posted 20 points and 15 rebounds in the win, followed by Jalen Cook with 19 points including 42 percent from three. Jaxon Gunville was feeling it early, as he drained 2 treys which made him the all-time leader in three-point field goals made. Those were part of a 14-point output for Gunville.