Box Score Mankato, Minn. — The Minnesota State men’s basketball team rallied from a 39-30 halftime deficit to a 74-63 victory over Wayne State College Friday evening in front of 1,082 fans in Bresnan Arena in Taylor Center.
“We made some good adjustments at halftime and I challenged our guys to play defense,” said head coach Matt Margenthaler. “They responded well, the key now is to learn from tonight and get ready for Augustana tomorrow.”
The Mavericks opened the game with an early 11-5 advantage just under four minutes into the game after senior guard Jefferson Mason pounded home a put-back via the dunk.
Both teams traded baskets over the next five minutes before Wayne State took the lead at 17-15 with 11:29 remaining in the half when Amry Shelby drained a three-pointer. The long-range basket sparked a 13-2 run by the Wildcats which ultimately put them up 26-17 with 8:56 remaining in the half.
Wayne State held the lead for the remainder of the first half, opening a pair of 12 points leads. MSU answered in the final moments with a couple of baskets to trim the deficit to 39-30 at the break.
WSC shot a red-hot 66.7 percent from the floor in the opening 20 minutes, including a 4-of-5 effort from beyond the three-point line. The Mavericks on the other hand shot just 37.9 percent from the floor and 37.5 percent from beyond the stripe.
The Mavericks opened the second half a different team as it rattled off an 11-2 run to knot the game at 41 with 15:33 remaining.
Senior guard Marcus Hill gave MSU the lead at 44-41 when he drilled a three from the right baseline. On MSU’s ensuing possession, Mason knocked down a pair of free throws to extend the Maverick run to 15-2 and its lead to 46-41.
The Mavericks would maintain the lead for the remainder of the game opening a lead as large as 12 at 68-56.
Hill led the Mavericks with 19 points on 7-of-14 shooting, including 3-of-5 from downtown. Mason added 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting to go with six rebounds, while junior Anthony Brant added 14 points with all four of his field goals coming via the three-pointer.
Redshirt freshman Connor O'Brien hauled in a team-high 10 rebounds.
The Mavericks shot 50 percent in the second half to close the night with a 43.4 percent clip from the floor. Wayne State finished the night shooting 48.9 percent from the floor.
Wayne State outrebounded MSU, 29-28, however MSU owned the offensive glass, 13-9, converting those 13 offensive rebounds into 16 points.
The Maverick defense forced 17 turnovers – in the win, turning them into 21 points. MSU also won the battle in transition, outscoring Wayne State, 6-0.
Minnesota State (5-0, 1-0 NSIC) closes its four-game homestand tomorrow afternoon with a 6 p.m., contest against Augustana.
To hear Coach Margenthaler's post game show, click HERE
To view the stats, click HERE
Anthony Brant discusses the win:
