MINOT, N.D. -- Senior Tyler Rudolph scored 28 points and grabbed 10 rebounds and senior Russ Davis added a season-high 22 points as Minot State recorded its first-ever Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Tournament victory with a 91-71 win over Upper Iowa on Saturday in the Minot State Dome in front of a raucous crowd of 1,357.

The Beavers advance to the second round of the NSIC Tournament for the first time in school history where they will meet Minnesota State on Saturday (Feb. 24) at 2:30 p.m. in the Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. The Mavericks advanced to the second round with an 82-79 win over Minnesota State Moorhead.

Minot State, which improved to 20-9 on the season, used a 12-0 run midway through the second half to pull away from the Peacocks.

A three-pointer by Kam Rowan tied the game at 66-66 with 8:17 to play in the second half, but the Beavers responded. Rudolph connected on a jumper and tacked on two free throws giving Minot State a 70-66 lead with 7:35 remaining in the game.

Another Rudolph jumper and a four-point play by Davis extended the lead to 76-66 at the 6:25 mark of the second half. Senior Brandon Green capped the run with a jumper that pushed the margin to 78-66 with 5:55 to play in the second.

Upper Iowa, which finished the season with a 17-15 overall record, got to within 80-71 on a three-pointer by Carson Parker with 4:10 remaining in the game but the Beavers outscored the Peacocks 11-0 down the stretch to close out the game.

Minot State shot 52.6 percent from the floor, while limiting Upper Iowa to 38.7 percent shooting from the field. This was in stark contrast to the regular season game in which the Peacocks posted a 99-89 victory while shooting a blistering 66.7 percent from the floor.

Minot State placed four players in double figures in scoring as Nathaniel Moore added 13 points off the bench and Green finished with 10 points and six rebounds. David Akibo added nine points and a career-high 14 rebounds, while Luis Ricci Maia had eight points, six assists and zero turnovers in 36 minutes of action.

Another big difference in the game was points in the paint as Minot State was outscored by Upper Iowa 56-28 in the regular season loss, but outscored the Peacocks 30-18 on Wednesday night.

The Beavers controlled the first half and built as much as a 13-point lead before taking a 43-36 lead into halftime.

Minot State held a 60-49 lead with 11:39 to play in the game before the Peacocks rallied to tie the game with an 11-0 run. The Beavers then answered with their 12-0 run to regain control of the game.