MINOT, N.D. — The Fighting Sioux men's basketball team knocked off Minot State 80-60 in its lone exhibition game of the season on Sunday in the '2011 Flood Fight' charity game at the MSU Dome. Sophomore Aaron Anderson (Brooklyn Park, Minn.) led a quartet of Sioux players in double figures with 12 points in a game designed to raise funds for victims of the severe floods here in the Magic City.

The two teams met on the hardwood a day after working together to gut one of many damaged homes in the area on Saturday afternoon.

Anderson's eight points paced a 24-point bench effort by the Sioux in the first half that proved to be the difference in the contest as the visitors opened up a 42-20 advantage at the break. Anderson capped a 9-0 run to close the half with a 3-pointer at the halftime horn. 

Junior Spencer Goodman (Jackson, Mo.) added 10 points off the bench in his first action since December of last season. He went 4-for-5 from the floor, including a put-back dunk to pace a 53.7 percent shooting effort from the floor for the Sioux. Senior Patrick Mitchell (Des Moines, Iowa) and sophomore point guard Jamal Webb (Buffalo, N.Y.) also chipped in with 10 points.

“I thought we needed to see a lot of different lineups out there,” UND head coach Brian Jones said. “Especially because we have some guys coming back from injury and three new freshmen, so we wanted to see what they brought to the mix. 

“I feel pretty confident in seven guys. I know what we are going to get from them. We wanted to see a lot of different looks and see who played well together. This was a great teaching tool – a real game under the bright lights.”

Minot State regrouped to play better in the second half as Jones continued to substitute four sometimes five guys at a time in three-to-four minute stretches in the team's first action of the campaign. 

The Beavers, led by Josh Johnson's game-high 20 points, outscored the Sioux 40-38 over the final 20 minutes. Senior Anthony Enriquez managed 12 points for MSU, who were held to just a 32.4 percent clip from the floor.

Webb, who was held scoreless in the first half, got to the rim with ease after intermission, converting four layups. He turned two of those into three-point plays after drawing contact. Mitchell and Anderson both went 2-for-4 from beyond the arc as the Sioux knocked down seven triples in the contest.

Anderson also added a team-high six rebounds, while Webb added four assists. Freshman Josh Gentry (Indianapolis, Ind.) and sophomore Troy Huff (Milwaukee, Wis.) each had three helpers in the contest. 

UND will open its regular season at home against Waldorf College on Saturday, Nov. 12. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m.

– Go Sioux –