Box Score Bemidji, Minn. – The Minnesota State men’s basketball team clinched a share of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference crown – its second in as many years – as it earned a 77-73 road victory against Bemidji State Saturday night.

The championship is MSU’s third in fourth years as the Mavericks won the final North Central Conference crown in 2008.

The Mavericks sank eight three-pointers in the win, shooting a scorching 7-of-9 from downtown in the first half.

“No one can take this away from us,” said head coach Matt Margenthaler. “This was a great weekend for our team and I couldn’t be more excited for those guys in that locker room.”

The Mavericks opened a 32-21 lead with 6:10 remaining in the first half only to have BSU used a 15-5 run to cut the Maverick lead to one at half, 37-36.

The game was a back-and-forth affair in the second half as the final 20 minutes featured 12 ties and eight lead changes.

BSU’s James Ellisor hit a pair of free throws with 46 seconds to tie the game at 72. On MSU’s ensuing possession, senior wing Jefferson Mason sank a pair of free throws to give MSU a 74-72 lead with 36 seconds remaining.

After BSU went 1-of-2 from the stripe on its next trip, MSU sank 3-of-4 free throws, including two by junior guard Stephen Kirschbaum to ice the victory.

Senior guard Marcus Hill led the Mavericks with 23 points on 7-of-9 shooting, including 4-of-5 from downtown and 5-of-6 from the free throw line. Senior guard Cameron Hodges added 21 points on 7-of-11 shooting, while Mason contributed 12.

Redshirt freshman #Connor O’Brien# narrowly missed a double-double as he finished with nine points and ten rebounds.

The Mavericks finished the night shooting 61 percent from the floor and 66.7 percent from the three-point line. Minnesota State also won the battle of the boards for the fourth consecutive game, outrebounding BSU, 23-21 .

The Mavericks (22-3, 18-3 NSIC) travel to Southwest Minnesota State next Saturday for an 8 p.m. tip.

To view the stats, click HERE

Marcus Hill talks about the win and clinching a share of the league crown