Box Score Wayne, Neb. --- The 21st-ranked Minnesota State men’s basketball team carried its momentum from its win last night at Augustana as it claimed its fourth straight win with a 66-54 win over the Wayne State Wildcats.

With the win, the Mavericks improved to 10-1 on the season, with a 6-1 mark in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play, while the Wildcats fell to 8-5, with a 2-5 record in league play.

“It was a great team weekend for us,” head coach Matt Margenthaler said. “We continued our great defensive effort from last night and that needs to be our identity for the rest of the season.”

The Mavericks controlled the game from start to finish as they led throughout the whole 40 minutes of play. After leaving the floor with an 11-point lead at the end of the first half, MSU continued to control the tempo as it increased its lead to as much as 24 points before claiming its fourth straight victory.

MSU achieved its fourth straight win behind some solid contributions from several different players, including juniors Connor O'Brien and Gage Wooten and sophomores Assem Marei and Zach Romashko.

O’Brien finished just one rebound shy of a double double as he notched 13 points and nine rebounds, which included a 5-of-5 performance from the free throw line. Wooten continued his stellar play this weekend as tallied 11 points, six rebounds and four assists, all while not missing a single shot from the field. Marei added six boards of his own to go along with 13 points, while Romashko added 13 points as well.

As a team, the Mavericks shot 52.4 percent from the field and a solid 76 percent from the charity strip, while holding Wayne State to a 32.7 shooting percentage from the field.

WSC’s Ryan Rolfzen and Amry Shelby led the Wildcat scorers with 10 points each, while Derell Williams added eight points and three helpers.

The Mavericks opened the contest firing on all cylinders, as they hit their first five shots from the field and quickly built a 10-point lead at 18-8 with 11:15 remaining in the first.

MSU’s hot shooting continued as it increased its lead to 17 at 32-15 with just 2:11 remaining in the opening frame. The Wildcats would chip away at the Maverick lead during the final two minutes of the half as they closed to within 11 at 32-21 before heading into the locker room.

As a team, MSU shot 61 percent from the field in the first half and was 7-of-8 (85.5%) from the charity strip. In comparison, WSC finished the first half shooting 8-of-24 (33.3%) from the field and was 0-of-8 from beyond the arc.

Marei led all scorers in the first half with eight points, while O’Brien and Whooten each chipped in with six points. Rolfzen led the Wildcats in the first session with six points.

The Mavericks return home for a pair of games beginning Friday as they host the Northern State Wolves. The opening tip is slated for 8 p.m.