Alex Eisen/MDN Minot State forward Kody Dwyer (0) posts up Duluth forward Brandon Myer (10) Saturday evening in Minot.

Things got out of hand, and the Minot State men’s basketball team didn’t have any answers. Chalk up loss No. 10 in a row.

The NSIC North leaders, Minnesota Duluth (13-3, 8-2 NSIC), had its way with Beavers (6-10, 0-10 NSIC) Saturday evening in a 93-69 thumping inside the Minot State Dome.

“I thought, at times, our guys looked frustrated tonight,” MSU head coach Matt Murken said. “In a lot of these close losses that we have had, we have been tough enough to withstand that and keep doing our jobs. Keep believing. Keep executing. But tonight, when they made runs, we didn’t respond well.”

MSU junior guard Max Cody single-handedly tried to keep the Beavers in striking distance throughout the contest.

Cody finished with a career-high 27 points on 9-for 18 shooting (6-for-11 behind the arc).

“(Cody) played well, but we have to have other guys be better around him,” Murken said. “That’s not to say (Cody) didn’t have his mistakes tonight. He can certainly play better, as well. We didn’t have a lot of guys who executed for 40 minutes on either end of the floor. Absolutely, we have to be better in all aspects.”

Cody’s backcourt partner Kyle Beisch had an off-night. Beisch went 2-for-12 from the floor for a season-worst 4 points.

“(Beisch) still has to find other ways to impact the game,” Murken said. “(Duluth) did a good job of making sure (Beisch) didn’t get any easy shots. But, he has to find ways to help us, whether that is assists, rebounds, defensively. You can always have an impact on the game. It doesn’t always have to be by scoring. That goes for everybody.”

The foul discrepancy in the first half, 9-4 in favor of Duluth, saw tensions start to rise on the Beavers’ sideline. Those frustrations only increased when Duluth pulled away for good in the second half.

“Whether that frustration is from today or (carrying over) from other games, it doesn’t matter. You have to play in the moment,” Murken said. “You got to find ways to stop that run and find a way to execute better in those stretches.”

Five straight points by Cody got the Beavers within five, 55-50, with 15 minutes remaining. MSU wouldn’t get any closer.

Duluth junior forward Brandon Myer picked the Beavers’ defense apart for a career-high 36 points. He also was a rebound shy of a double-double.

Along with Myer, Charles Gorres (19 points) and Drew Blair (18) ended up in double figures for Duluth.

Duluth shot 54.7% from the floor and went 12-for-26 (46.2%) on 3-pointers. MSU finished at 43.9% and 9-for-26 (34.6%) on 3-pointers.

Kody Dwyer added 11 points and eight rebounds for the Beavers.

“Whatever happened before or tonight, doesn’t have any impact on how we move forward,” Murken said. “Definitely, not happy with how we played tonight. But, the only thing that matters now is how we respond to it.”

Minot State attempts to break its 10-game losing streak at home next weekend against Southwest Minnesota State on Friday and then Sioux Falls on Saturday.

Alex Eisen covers Minot State athletics, the Minot Minotauros and high school sports. Follow him on Twitter @AEisen13.