MANKATO, Minn. --- The Minnesota State men's basketball team won its second consecutive game in Taylor Center Saturday evening as it topped the Waldorf Warriors by the score of 86-62.

With the win, MSU improves to 3-1 on the season.

The first half saw a close contest early on as both teams were tied at 14 with 11:36 left in the half. MSU finish the half on a 30-11 run through the final 11 minutes of the opening frame to take a 44-25 lead into the locker room

Freshman TJ Lake led the Maverick offense in the first half with 12 points on a 5-of-7 performance from the field. Senior Assem Marei added nine points and five rebounds in the first half, while senior Zach Monaghan notched seven points and four assists.

The second half saw the Mavericks maintain their double-digit lead through the final 20 minutes of play, en route to an 86-62 win. Sophomore Grant Pope finished the second half leading the Mavericks with seven points, while freshman Alex Herink recorded six points and six rebounds.

In total, Marei led the Maverick offense with 13 points and nine rebounds, while Lake posted 12 points. Seniors Connor Miller and Zach Romashko each tallied 10 points as well.

As a team, MSU brought down 48 rebounds and tallied 34 points in the paint, to go along with 16 second-chance points. The Maverick bench notched 38 points as well.

Jordan Nelson led Waldorf with a game-high 25 points, to go along with eight rebounds, while Erik Brewer dropped in 18 points.

MSU continues its season on the road as it travels to St. Petersburg, Fla., to take part in the Eckerd College Thanksgiving Classic beginning on Friday against Tampa. The opening tip is set for 4:30 p.m.


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