File photo of Minot State senior Jaime Skeggs as she drives the ball past two defenders in the Beavers’ home game against Bemidji State University on Thursday, Feb. 5. Nathan Beitler/MDN

The Minot State men’s and women’s basketball teams both traveled out of town on Wednesday night, Feb. 25, for their first rounds of the 2026 NSIC Men’s Basketball Tournament and the 2026 NSIC Women’s Basketball Tournament.

The Beavers women’s basketball team traveled to Winona, MN to take on the Winona State University Warriors in their opening round, dropping the game in a tough 46-70 loss.

Junior guard Maya Aguilar kicked off Wednesday night’s competition with her completed lay-up, giving the Beavers an early 2-0 lead. The Beavers were unable to hold on to their lead for long before the Warriors took control. The Warriors scored three back to back field goals, giving them a two possession lead over the Beavers, and they maintained that lead for the remainder of the game.

The first quarter of the game ended with the Warriors leading the Beavers at 14-25. The Warriors continued to outscore the Beavers in the second quarter of the game, seeing the Warriors continue to lead at halftime at 22-37.

The Beavers outscored the Warriors in the third quarter, 14-12, but it was not enough to put them over the top. The Beavers were unable to meet the Warriors offensively, as Winonna State once again outscored the Beavers, ending the game with a score of 46-70 and knocking the Minot State women’s team out of NSIC contention.

Though the game ended with a loss, the Beavers had three players reach double digit points on the night with redshirt sophomore Tiyahna Trottier earning 13 points for the Beavers and sophomores Jessica Mogen and Lara Dobbins earning 12 points and 10 points respectively.

The Beavers’ women’s basketball team end the season with a record of 11 wins 19 losses overall and a record of eight wins 14 losses in conference play.

The Minot State men’s team faced similar hardships in their first round of the NSIC tournament when they traveled to Duluth, MN to take on the University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs on Wednesday night.

The Bulldogs got the jump on the Beavers early in the first half of the game, but the Beavers were quickly able to respond, taking their first lead of the game at 3-2 with a completed free throw by redshirt freshman Carson Yale. The two teams traded leads back and forth through the entirety of the first half until the Bulldogs took a definitive lead at 20-22, taking charge until the half ended with a score of 24-34 in favor of the Bulldogs.

Although the Bulldogs led with a ten point deficit after halftime, the Beavers fought hard to make up their lost ground. The Beavers slowly and aggressively fought back against the Bulldogs’ defense. Basket after basket drew the Beavers closer and closer to an even game until a blocked layup attempt by Minot State redshirt junior Deuce Benjamin gave Isaiah Alexander the rebound. Alexander worked the ball around to Trey Brandt, who drained a three-point shot for the Beavers, tying the game at 63-63 and forcing the teams into overtime.

Though the BEavers put in hard work and dedication to get themselves to overtime in the first round of the NSIC tournament, the Bulldogs quickly took the game back over. Their defense kept the Beavers at bay, and the Bulldogs walked away with the win, ending the Beavers’ season with their 68-74 loss.

Redshirt junior Carson Yale led the Beavers in points on Wednesday night, totaling 16 in 33 minutes of play. Junior Darik Dissette and redshirt junior Isaiah Alexander followed close behind with 15 points each.

The Beavers’ men’s basketball team ended the season with an overall record of 12 wins 17 losses overall and a record of nine wins 13 losses in conference play.