“Great weekend for the Beavers in completing a road sweep. Beating a top ten ranked Minnesota State – Moorhead team at their place and winning in Aberdeen the next night is a very tough task. Beaver basketball hasn’t won in Wachs Arena since 1990,” said head coach Matt Murken. “It’s a credit to our team’s toughness and resolve. I’m proud of them and they deserve these next few days at home with family.”

MSU Men 64, Northern

State 58

ABERDEEN, S.D. — The Minot State University (MSU) men’s basketball team went into the halftime break tied with Northern State 33-33 but took control in the second half to defeat the Wolves 64-58 on the road Saturday, December 21.

The Beavers (15-0, 6-0) had two players score in double figures, led by Caleb Van De Griend, who notched a double-double with 24 points and 18 rebounds. Sam West tacked on 11 points, five assists and two steals while Ayouba Berthe added eight points and seven rebounds.

MSU shared the ball well in Saturday’s game, racking up 16 assists on 24 made field goals. Jaxon Gunville and Sam West led the way for the Beavers with five assists each.

The MSU defense held Northern State shooters to just 38.7 percent from the field, including 21.1 percent from three-point range.

It was a fantastic weekend all around for Beaver basketball, one with some notable accomplishments that left coach Murken very pleased.

After falling behind 33-28, MSU went on a 5-0 run with 1:41 left in the first half, culminating in a bucket from Van De Griend, to tie the game at 33, a score that would hold until halftime.

MSU got the job done in the paint in the first half, scoring 28 of its 33 points close to the basket.

Northern State then snagged a 51-46 advantage before MSU responded by going on a 7-0 run to seize a 53-51 lead with 7:34 to go in the contest.

The Beavers kept expanding the margin and coasted the rest of the way for the 64-58 win. Minot State shot well from three-point range in the half, hitting 6 shots from deep to score 18 of its 31 points.

MSU Men 76, Minnesota State – Moorhead 52

MOORHEAD, Minn. – The MSU men’s basketball team returned to action 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, December 20.

In addition to Van De Griend’s double-double, the Beavers were led by Sam West, who put up 14 points, six rebounds, six assists and three steals. Ayouba Berthe scored 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.

MSU grabbed 42 rebounds 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.

MSU’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 nine offensive rebounds and managed nine second chance points while Minot State cleared 29 defensive rebounds.

After falling behind 17-16, MSU 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.

MSU relied on its three-point shooting in the period, knocking down 4 shots to account for 12 of its 30 points.

MSU 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. MSU took care of business in the paint, recording 30 of its 46 points in the lane.