NSIC Basketball / Minot State

  As it turns out, big second halves would be the bane of the weekend for the NSIC North Dakota teams. The Peacocks went up to the Magic City the next day, and we saw had a bit of déjà vu. The Beavers never got the big lead that UMary did the day before, but did have the emotional boost in the first half. Tyler Rudolph only needed three points to become the all-time leading scorer in MSU history, and he delivered. But overall, the UIU defense did a great job against this Minot State offense that is near the top of the league in scoring. More specifically, they did a good job of outscoring them. The best defense is a good offense right? Joe Smoldt lead the way from the outside, but in the second stanza Dennis Austin III was unstoppable. Luis Ricci Maia delivered a very strong shooting performance for the Beavers, and David Akibo got going late. But a 57 point second half by UIU would turn out to be too much, as they finished just shy of 100. Minot State shot the ball very well (as usual), but a 64% clip by the opposition is simply too good to overcome. Still, the Beavers are a team on the cusp of the Top 25 and have plenty of time to bounce back before the NSIC tourney.