WINONA, Minn. --- The No. 11 Minnesota State men's basketball team posted another comeback in the second half Saturday evening as it defeated the Winona State Warriors 79-67.
With the win, MSU improves to 9-1 on the season, including a 4-0 record in NSIC action. With the loss, the Warriors fall to 5-4, including a 2-3 NSIC record. The Mavericks have now won their last nine games.
The first half saw seven lead changes as the Warriors were able to take a 38-37 lead into the half. Winona State managed to build a 10-point lead at 36-26 with 3:42 to go in the half, but the Mavericks were able to cut the lead to one as they outscored the Warriors 11-2 in final 3:42 of the first half.
Sophomore
Mike Busack led the Maverick offense in the first half with nine points, while senior
Zach Monaghan tallied eight points and four assists. Freshman
TJ Lake chipped in with six points and seven rebounds as well.
Riley Bambenek led all scorers in the first half with 11 points.
The second half remained close early on as the lead changed hands five times with just more than 13 minutes to go in the game. The Mavericks would take the lead for good after senior
Zach Romashko drained a shot from behind the arc to give MSU a 49-46 lead with 13:26 left in the game.
The Warriors managed to get within one point of the Mavericks but they failed to reclaim the lead the rest of the way as MSU wrapped up its ninth consecutive win with a 78-67 victory.
Monaghan led all scorers with 21 points, including an 8-of-8 showing from the line. He also passed out a team-high seven assists. Senior
Assem Marei notched his 20th career double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds, which included 16 points and eight rebounds in the second half.
Senior
Connor Miller added 11 points, while Romashko tallied 10 points.
As a team, MSU shot 51.9% from the field, including a 12-of-27 (.444) showing from behind the arc.
Bambenek led the Winona state offense with 17 points and five assists, while Isaiah Gray added 12 points.
The Mavericks wrap up their road trip on Saturday, Dec. 20, as they take on the Concordia-St. Paul Golden Bears. The opening tip is set for 4 p.m.
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