The Minot State men’s basketball team took part in the Dakota Challenge over the weekend at the University of Mary and fell in a pair of single-digit contests to Black Hills State and South Dakota Mines.

The Beavers opened the event with a 72-65 loss to Black Hills State on Friday, Nov. 28, and concluded the two-day tournament by dropping an 84-79 decision to South Dakota Mines on Saturday, Nov. 29.

Deuce Benjamin led the way in both contests, finishing the weekend with 50 points. Benjamin tallied 20 points against Black Hills State on 7-for-10 shooting and knocked down three 3-pointers. Darik Dissette joined Benjamin in double figures with 14 points.

The Beavers (3-4) trailed 40-31 at halftime and fell behind by as many as 14 points before going on a 14-0 run to tie the game at 51 with 11:13 remaining in regulation. But the Yellow Jackets countered with a 15-2 run to push their lead back up to double digits at 65-53 with 7:45 left. The Beavers could only get as close as five points of the lead the rest of the way.

Cam Lowe led Black Hills State with 15 points. Myles Johnson and Tristan Hurdle also finished in double figures with 13 and 11, respectively. The Yellow Jackets held a 39-29 edge on the glass.

Saturday’s contest against South Dakota Mines featured 11 lead changes and 10 ties. The Beavers trailed 39-38 at the half, but grabbed the lead early in the second half. A three-point play by Dissette gave Minot State a 49-47 advantage with 13:26 to play, but the Hardrockers went on a 23-8 run to take a 12-point lead. They would lead by as many as 13 in the second half.

Benjamin led all scorers with 30 points. Dissette finished with 16 and Isaiah Alexander added 15. The Beavers shot 45.5 percent from the field and 27.8 percent from behind the arc. Benjamin hit four of the team’s five treys.

Lovasoa Andriatsarafara grabbed 10 rebounds and was two points shy of a double-double.

Jason Lee finished with a team-high 27 points for South Dakota Mines. Gavin Soukup added 17 points off the bench. The Hardrockers shot nearly 50 percent from the field and hit nine 3-pointers.

The Beavers return to NSIC play when they host the University of Jamestown on Thursday, Dec. 4, at 5:30 p.m.