Box Score Mankato, Minn. --- Behind a solid performance in the second half, the No. 6 Minnesota State men’s basketball team defeated the Arkansas Tech Wonder Boys 81-65 Saturday evening.

With the win, MSU improved to 27-4 on the season and will take on the winner of the game between Central Missouri and Harding. With the loss, the Wonder Boys fell to 18-12 on the season.

The Mavericks got several key performances as five players notched at least 11 points in the game. Senior Jarvis Williams led the way with 19 points, while junior Connor O'Brien added 17 points and eight rebounds.

Sophomore Assem Marei also had a solid game, as he notched 12 points and 12 rebounds for his seventh career double-double. Junior Gage Wooten tallied 11 points, while sophomore Zach Romashko dropped in 12 points off the bench.

The Mavericks jumped out to a double-digit lead early on in the second half, but Tech was able to battle back and knotted up the score at 41 with 13:09 left in the game. MSU would outscore the Wonder Boys 40-24 through the final 13 minutes to secure the 81-65 win.

As a team, MSU shot 50% (29-of-58) from the field, including a crisp 16-of-29 (.552) from the field in the second frame. MSU also passed out 18 assists and forced 10 Wonder Boy turnovers.

Jared Williamson led all scorers with 27 points, while Bobby Hatchett added 11 points.

The first half featured a close battle as both teams managed to keep pace with each other. MSU held a one-point lead at 16-15 with 10:24 left in the half, before going on a 9-0 run to go up 25-15 with 7:15 left in the half. The Wonder Boys were able to claw back to within one on a few occasions before MSU took a 33-30 lead into the locker room.

Marei led the Mavericks with 10 points and six rebounds in the first half, while Wooten tallied eight points.

Tech’s Jared Williamson led all scorers with 11 points in the first half, while Bobby Hatchett added eight points.

The Mavericks will face the winner of the game between Central Missouri and Harding Saturday evening. The opening tip is set for 7:30 p.m.
                                                                            
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