Duluth, Minn. –  Minnesota State senior guard #Stephen Kirshbaum and freshman forward Zach Romashko# scored a career-high 25 and 23 points respectively to guide Minnesota State to an 89-82 victory over Minnesota Duluth in front of 1,247 fans.

“I thought our guys did a great job controlling the pace,” said head coach Matt Margenthaler.  “I’m so proud of the way our guys fought tonight.  They believed in the system and they were rewarded for their hard work.”

Both teams traded shots to start the game before the Bulldogs used a 10-0 run to open a 21-10 lead with 12:30 remaining.  From that point on, the Mavericks slowly crawled back into the game before sophomore forward #Connor O’Brien# tied the game at 40 with a jumper with three seconds remaining.

Kirschbaum and Romashko each scored ten first points to pace the Mavericks while O’Brien added nine.

The first half featured a combined 66 possessions with each team taking exceptional care of the ball as there were just three first half turnovers, two of which were by the Bulldogs.  The Mavericks shot 47.1 percent from the floor in the first half while UMD hit on 51.7 percent of its chances.

Both teams traded baskets throughout the second half, with UMD opening a six-point lead on three different occasions.  Minnesota State came storming back however using a 10-3 run to take an 81-74 lead with 2:49 remaining. 

With UMD holding a 74-73 lead, Romashko drilled a three from the left wing, his second of the year, to give MSU a 76-74 advantage.  The Maverick defense forced UMD into a missed shot before Kirschbaum hit a lay-up to push the lead to four at 78-74.  Sophomore guard Jimmy Whitehead then converted a traditional three-point play to give MSU its largest lead of the night at 81-74 prompting a UMD timeout.

Following the timeout, the Bulldogs hit a pair of free throws before Kirschbaum scored on a nifty reverse lay-up.  UMD guard Jake Hottenstine then drilled a three –pointer to pull within four at 83-79 with 1:54 remaining.

After both teams traded turnovers, Kirschbaum was fouled and hit both free throws to push the Maverick lead back to six with 1:13 remaining.

The Mavericks would ice the game as Kirschbaum sank a pair of free throws with 15 seconds remaining.

Kirschbaum scored his 25 points on 8-of-16 shooting, including 6-of-6 from the line while Romashko scored 23 on 10-of-16 shooting to go with six rebounds.  Whitehead added 16 and Meinders added ten – all of which were in the second half – to round out the Mavericks in double-figures.

Meinders also finished with a team-high eight rebounds, a tally which also represents his career-high.

Minnesota State finished the night shooting 52.3 percent from the floor, including 58.1 percent in the second half.  The Mavericks won the battle of the glass, 38-33.

UMD’s Ryan Rassmussen led all scorers with 32 points.

The Mavericks (6-11, 5-8 NSIC) return to action Friday when they travel to Winona State for an 8 p.m., game against the Warriors.

Romashko talks about the win