SIOUX FALLS, S.D. --- It was a back and forth affair Saturday afternoon between NSIC rivals Minnesota State and MSU Moorhead, but it was the Mavericks that would have the final say as they bested the Dragons 85-81 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at the Sanford Pentagon.

With the win, MSU improves to 22-9, while MSU Moorhead finishes its season with a 30-6 record.

Saturday's game saw a total of 25 lead changes as neither team led by more seven points throughout. A total of nine Mavericks made it into the scoring column, with 73 of their 85 points coming from their starting five.

Junior Jon Fuqua notched a game-high 28 points and eight rebounds. Fuqua who started the game shooting 5-of-5, finished just one point shy of his season-high of 29 points he recorded against Northern State.

Senior Jalen Pendleton notched his fourth double-double of the season as he notched 10 points and 11 assists. Eight of Pendleton's assists came in the opening session.

Freshmen Joey Witthus and Cole Harper made their presence felt on the court as well. In 40 minutes, Witthus tallied 19 points and four rebounds, while Harper added nine points,  and five rebounds, to go along with a crucial block in the closing seconds. Sophomore Alex Herink notched seven points and seven rebounds. Two of Herink's offensive rebounds came in the closing seconds which set up four of MSU's final five points.

As a team, MSU shot 57.4% from the field, including a 6-of-12 showing from behind the arc. The Mavericks also connected on 17-of-23 (.739) shots from the line, seven of which came courtesy of Harper. MSU also held a 48-32 advantage in points in the paint.

Tanner Kretchman led the Dragons with 27 points, while Aaron Lien posted 19 points and eight rebounds. As a team, MSU Moorhead connected on 48.3% of its shots from the field, including an 11-of-23 (.478) showing from behind the arc.

The opening 20 minutes of the game saw a total of 16 lead changes as the Mavericks and Dragons were never separated by more than seven points. MSU Moorhead led 15-8 with 12:25 to go in the half, but the Mavericks were able to climb back into the lead several times in the final 8:40 of the second half. A last-second three pointer from MSU Moorhead's Kretchman gave the Dragons a 45-42 lead heading into the locker room.

Fuqua led all scorers in the first half as he netted 17 first-half points behind an 8-of-9 showing from the field. Witthus added nine points in the first half as well, while senior Pendleton passed out eight assists.

As a unit, the Mavericks shot 64% from the field in the first half as they connected on 16-of-25 shots. MSU also went 7-of-10 from the free throw line and held.

The Dragons were led by Kretchman in the first half as he scored 15 points, which included a 3-of-4 showing from behind the arc. Ngijol Songolo added nine points as well.

As a team, the Dragons shot 53.6% from the field in the first half. MSU Moorhead also took advantage of its opportunities at the free throw line as it cashed in on 11-of-12 (.917) attempts.    

The second half proved to be just as competitive as the first half as the Mavericks boasted the largest lead of the second stanza at 75-70 with 3:51 to go. The Dragons were able to fight their way back to knot up the score at 78 with 2:00 to go after a three pointer from Lien. The Mavericks would answer right away on their next two possessions as both Fuqua and Herink posted a layup to put Minnesota State up 82-78 with 46 seconds left.

After a couple of offensive rebounds, Kretchman was finally to connect from long range to pull MSU Moorhead back within one at 82-81 with 22 seconds left. A Dragon foul sent Witthus to the line who connected on both of his shots to put the Mavericks back up by three at 84-81 with 13 seconds left. Kretchman attempted to tie the game with five seconds left, but Harper was able to block his three point attempt and collect the rebound with three seconds left before a Kretchman foul sent him to the line. Harper went on to hit one of two attempts to ice the game for the Mavericks.

The Mavericks will take on the winner of the game between Northwest Missouri State and Ouachita Baptist in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday, at 5:00 p.m.




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