Kari Gibb/MDN MSU junior Sam West (4) drives to the hoop for two and is fouled for good measure in postseason play on Wednesday, February 26, as the Beavers hosted the Cougars at the Dome in round one of the NSIC tournament play.

In one last dance at the MSU Dome this season, the Beavers got it done for the hometown fans.

Caleb Van De Griend notched a double-double with 25 points and 15 rebounds to help the Minot State University (MSU) men’s basketball team take down the Sioux Falls Cougars 81-56 at home Wednesday.

In addition to Van De Griend’s solid performance, the Beavers (24-8) were led by Sam West, who had 17 points, eight rebounds, five assists and two steals while Jalen Cook added 16 points.

The MSU offense was very productive from beyond the arc, pouring in eight 3-pointers on 25 attempts. Jaxon Gunville was the most prolific shooter for the Beavers, draining 4 treys in the contest.

MSU’s defense was all kinds of stellar tonight when called upon. They held Sioux Falls to only 38.2 percent shooting from the field, including 16.7 percent from beyond the arc. On top of that, they forced 17 Cougar turnovers.

It was one last hurrah this season for the Beavers at home. Van De Griend and the players were greeted with an electric playoff atmosphere, including the revamped student section. It meant a lot to him to finish out the home portion giving the fans much to cheer for.

“It felt amazing. Especially with the student section, all the guys getting up and it felt amazing. The atmosphere and every time you hit a shot, there are thousands of people cheering. Every time you do something good, it really motivates you and gets us all going when you hear that crowd,” Van De Griend said.

After jumping out to a 26-18 advantage, MSU went on a 10-0 run with 7:10 left in the first half, culminating in a three from Gunville, to increase its lead to 36-18. The Beavers then added three points to that lead by the end of the period and entered halftime with a 46-25 advantage. Minot State did most of its first half damage in the paint, scoring 26 of its 46 points close to the basket.

Following intermission, Minot State kept widening that lead, expanding to 69-46 before going on a 6-0 run, finished off by Cook’s three, to grow the lead to 75-46 with 7:08 to go in the contest. The Cougars narrowed the margin somewhat before the game was over, but the Beavers still cruised the rest of the way for the 81-56 win.

Now it is off to the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The Beavers will take on Concordia St. Paul in the quarterfinals this Saturday at 4:30 p.m.