A rough beginning to the 2020-2021 season for the Minot State Beavers men’s basketball team continued Jan. 16-17 with two road defeats against St. Cloud State last weekend.

The Beavers’ Saturday contest was a white-knuckle affair to the final seconds.

Both schools traded baskets throughout much of the first half, until Minot State was able to open up a lead as great as 10 with just under seven minutes remaining. St. Cloud State chipped away at MSU’s lead over the final minutes of the first half, though, and the Beavers entered the locker room grasping a slim 40-39 lead.

The second half started with four lead changes, but Minot State still had a 45-44 lead following a made triple by Cameron Dunfee three minutes into the final period. With 4:08 on the clock, St. Cloud used an 11-2 run to push its lead to 75-67. Minot State later tied the game with under a minute left, but was unable to forge ahead as the Huskies escaped with an 80-78 win.

Sunday’s match was not as close when the final buzzer sounded. After a tight first half, the Beavers found themselves trailing at intermission 36-33. The floodgates opened to start the second half as the Huskies scored ten more unanswered points before the Beavers finally made their next basket to cap off a 14-0 run that straddled the two halves. The Beavers eventually fell 90-74.

Now at 2-4 overall and in sixth place in the NSIC, Minot State will look to bounce back on another road series Jan. 22-23 against the University of Minnesota Crookston. Tip-off is slated for 5:30 p.m. on Saturday and 1:30 p.m. on Sunday.

Lady Beavers bounce back, split series against Bulldogs with 3-1 win

After a disappointing 5-1 defeat at the hands of the visiting Adrian College Bulldogs, the Minot State Lady Beavers picked themselves up off the ice and won game two of the series by a 3-1 final score Saturday evening.

Much like the initial period of the first contest against Adrian College, the first period of Saturday’s match was a defensive struggle with a slight edge going to the Bulldogs. The Beavers’ penalty kill was strong early on, and dispatched of two penalties en route to a scoreless first frame.

Despite the solid defensive play from Minot State, it would be the Bulldogs drawing first blood three and a half minutes into the second period.

After killing off two more penalties, the Beavers finally potted the equalizing goal. Maiya Aschberg ripped the puck past Adrian goaltender Halle Faulkner and Minot State had tied the game at one goal apiece with just over three minutes left in the second stanza, a score that would hold until the second intermission came and went.

Minot State seized command of the game in the final period. Story Navrot came through in the clutch right in front of the net, and chipped one in past Faulkner just over halfway into the frame. The score gave Minot the late 2-1 lead it desperately needed.

The Beavers were able to hold the lead the rest of the way, and added a third goal on an empty net after Adrian College pulled its goaltender with under a minute to play.

Now at 5-1 on the season, the Beavers look ahead to a four-game road trip against the Midland University Warriors. The puck is pegged to drop at 5 p.m. for the first game in Fremont, Nebraska Jan. 22.