Mankato, Minn. --- The fourth-ranked Minnesota State men’s basketball team used a 21-2 run midway through the second half to open a 22-point lead and never look back as the Mavericks downed Concordia, 84-63, in front of 1,646 fans in the Taylor Center.

The Maverick offense featured four players in double-figures, led by senior wing Jefferson Mason 18 points.  Mason and junior guard Joe Drapcho each hauled in nine rebounds.  The nine boards – three of which were offensive – marked a career-high for Drapcho.

“I thought our bench came through huge tonight,” said head coach Matt Margenthaler.  “They did a great job of coming in and playing together.  The second half we came out the way we are capable of playing. We need to play a lot better tomorrow against St. Cloud State.”

The first half didn’t feature much flow as the two teams battled to a 39-all time through 20 minutes.  The Mavericks shot 48.4 percent from the floor in the first half, while limiting CU to 43.8 percent.  Mason led all scorers in the first half with 10 points on four-of-four shooting, while Drapcho added eight. 

The tie marked the first time all season that Minnesota State was tied at the break. 

Both teams traded baskets to start the second half until junior Marcus Hill went on a personal 5-0 run to give Minnesota State a 48-47 lead, a lead that it would not relinquish. 

Concordia cut the score to 55-53 with 12:09 remaining in the game before the Mavericks embarked on a 24-4 run to close the door. 

Hill added 16 points for the Mavericks while senior guard Jesse Clark had 13. 

The Mavericks finished the game outrebounding CU, 43-32, including 14-13 on the offensive end.  The difference in the game came in the paint, as MSU finished with 46 points in the paint – 28 of which came in the second half – while the Golden Bears had 28.

The Mavericks shot 50.8 percent from the floor and limited CU to just 37.7.

The Mavericks (15-0, 8-0 NSIC) host St. Cloud State tomorrow evening at 8 p.m.

 
To view the stats, click HERE